The Other Half
by redKardinal
Summary: Set after the events of Blurry, A new arrival changes everything for Phineas T. Kettletree. (Note: The majority of this story is fluff and friendship, though there are a few NSFW chapters later on, hence the M rating.)
1. Summer Joy

**A few notes - If you haven't read Blurry Please go read that first. Secondly. This story is mostly fluff. The reason for the M rating is because there ARE NSFW chapters later on, all of which will be labeled with a ~ after the chapter title. (Ex: Chapter 700~) So if that's not your thing you can skip those chapters. If there's anything plot relevant that happens in those chapters I will put a summary paragraph as a note like this at the top of the following chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

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Summer came for the fifth time since Phineas arrived in Pixie Hollow. He mostly stayed in Tinker's Nook according to Fairy Mary's wishes. She would escort him to the Pixie Dust Tree whenever he needed more Dust, and he never once complained. Every once in a while he got to go to the Nature Fairies for a delivery, but in the past five years he'd only gone on about fifteen deliveries. There were other occasions where Fairy Mary was alright with him leaving the Nook, but he was always with someone to help guide him.

He'd made a new seeing device. It was a hand held lens which he could draw a small water drop from his large lens, or fill it with a dropper he'd crafted when he wasn't near the larger one. He mainly used it for smaller work and for going between his home and other places like the workshop and the Tree.

Three new fairies has arrived in Pixie Hollow since he'd been there. A scout Fairy named Nyx came first, but he hadn't seen much of her since she arrived four years ago. Two years ago a Dust Keeper named Yvette arrived. Phineas saw her from time to time when he got his Dust refilled, but otherwise didn't interact with her. Near the end of last Autumn an Animal Fairy arrived. Her name was Fawn. Phineas saw her plenty. She would often would show up in Tinker's Nook to care for the mice and pigeons, and while she was there she would tell Phineas about all the amazing creatures she worked with. He very much enjoyed her company, and much to his pleasure, she had become fast friends with Silvermist and Rosetta.

Phineas was tying the harness to a carrier pigeon, his hand lens held tight in his teeth, when he heard it. In the distance there was a distinct giggle. His eyes widened and he quickly finished tying the harness and landed, removing the lens from his teeth.

"New arrival!" he shouted, running past a few Tinkers. "Go check on the empty house!" he said as he passed. He wanted to be sure the house was set up in case the new arrival was a Tinker.

He found Fairy Mary in the workshop. She was checking off the supplies and organizing what was out of place.

"Did you hear it, Fairy Mary?" Phineas asked, out of breath.

"New arrival I suppose?" she said, not looking up from her work.

"Aye" Phineas nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Are you coming to the Tree with me?"

Fairy Mary shoved a heavy shell aside with a grunt. "I don't think I can this time, Phineas." She said "Far too much work to be done. Can you handle going on your own this time?"

Phineas gasped. "You mean it?" he smiled wide.

"Only if you think you can handle it." She said as she grabbed an armful of kettles.

"Aye! I can handle it!" he assured her.

"Good! Then you'd better go before you miss it." She laughed.

"Thank you Fairy Mary!" he cheered, flying off with an extra lift in his wings. He loved new arrivals. He always looked forward to meeting one since Queen Clarion requested his presence at every one.

Using his lens to guide him, he found Ro, Sil, and Fawn on his way to the Tree. "Hello ladies!" he greeted.

"Hey Phin!" Fawn waved, looking as excited as he felt.

"Isn't this exciting?" he asked, not at all hiding his eagerness. "Oh I wonder what their talent will be! I hope it's another Tinker!"

Fawn laughed "Are you always this excited about new fairies?"

"He hasn't missed one since he got to Pixie Hollow." Rosetta said.

"Well there's only been three so far." Sil chimed in.

"Four counting this one." Phineas said.

"Why so few?" Fawn asked "Babies are born all the time aren't they? Why don't we get newcomers every day?"

"Well they don't all come to Pixie Hollow." Silvermist said. "I hear they stay on the mainland and make humans' wishes come true."

"That and some go to Winter." Phineas added. "We can't exactly go to those arrivals."

They arrived at the Tree and nestled into their respective spots among their Talent Guilds. Phineas was the only Tinker who showed up, so he sat in the back alone. He watched through his lens as the Fast Flier, Zig, guided the new arrival to the platform.

It gently touched down, and Fairy Gary flew over with the cup of Dust. As he sprinkled the Dust, the new arrival woke up and breathed his first breath. He had a thick body and long black hair. People started to mumble about what his talent might be. Some thought he would be a Dust Keeper like Fairy Gary. Others thought maybe he'd be an Animal Fairy, though fewer thought that since Fawn was the last arrival. Phineas hoped like every other time that the new arrival would be a Tinker.

The new fairy opened his eyes and looked around. A grin spread across his face in wonder. "Hello." A few fairies waved. "Hello!" he happily waved back. Everyone then hushed as Queen Clarion arrived.

"Sprung from joy," she started, "The winds have brought you to us. Welcome to Pixie Hollow, young Sparrowman."

"Thank you." He said, standing.

The Queen nodded to him and flew to his back. "Let's take care of your wings, shall we?" Her hands glided over his wings, waking them up. They were small for his body, but it didn't hinder his flight in the slightest. He touched back down on the platform without any problem at all.

The mushroom pedestals sprouted, startling the young sparrowman, and the fairies of different talents began placing their gifts. Phineas took the hammer from his belt and placed it on the Tinker's pedestal.

"What's all this then?" The new arrival asked the queen.

"These will show you your talent." She explained. "Now go and find yours."

The young sparrowman turned to the talent choices and stepped forward. He walked around, looking at each one from a distance, but wasn't going for any one right away like the other new arrivals would. He circled the talent choices, and the watching fairies were growing anxious. He circled a third time and finally stopped to reach for a talent: The Hammer Phineas had placed. Phineas held his breath. This new comer had to be a Tinker. He just had to be.

The hammer glowed and floated into his hand, and when it reached him, it shined bright. It was brighter than any arrival Phineas had seen. He held up his hand to shade his eyes as a grin spread across his face. A new Tinker. Phineas was so excited. This new comer must have been incredibly gifted too based on the glow.

Queen Clarion placed her hand on the newcomer's shoulder. "Come forward Tinker Fairies, and meet the newest member of your Talent guild: Clank."

Phineas jumped up and pushed past the other fairies. "Excuse me!" he said excitedly "coming through!" He could hear Rosetta giggle, but he didn't mind. The girls all knew he really wanted to show a newcomer around. He flew out of the crowd and landed in front of Clank.

"Hello Clank!" he said, short of breath. "I'm Phineas. Phineas T. Kettletree Esquire, at your service." He gave a slight bow.

Clank looked surprised, but overall pleased by the greeting. "Nice to meet you Mr. Esquire." He said.

Phineas laughed "Just call me Phineas. I'm so glad you've arrived!" he took Clank's hand. "Come on, then. There's so much to show you!"

Clank smiled as Phineas guided him above the Tree. The other fairies below going on their way. Phineas thought he heard the Queen give a small chuckle, but thought nothing of it. He started to show Clank around the Hollow, checking through his hand lens every so often to make sure he was still going in the right direction.

"You've come just in time to celebrate the Autumn Revelry with us." Phineas said as they flew through the Autumn forest. "Before we change the seasons we have this celebration, but this year is special."

"Why's that?" Clank asked, watching Phineas more than the forest.

"This is the year of the Blue Harvest Moon. One fairy from one of the Talent Guilds will make a special scepter for the celebration." Phineas explained. "I've never seen this myself. It only happens every eight years."

"I can't wait!" Clank said with a grin. "Who's making the scepter?" he asked as they flew to the edge of the Autumn forest.

"I think I heard that it was the Fast Fliers' turn." Phineas said as they reached the border between Autumn and Winter. "Be careful not to cross into Winter." Phineas warned. "It's too cold for us warm fairies over there."

"If it's too cold then how do fairies prepare for Winter?" Clank asked.

Phineas smiled at Clank. "Excellent question. The Winter Woods is full of Frost and Snowflake Talent fairies. Their wings and bodies are built for the cold." His smile faded slightly. "Unfortunately they can't come over to the warm seasons. They can't handle the heat, so they have to stay over there."

"That's a shame." Clank said as they flew towards Spring. "But it's better to stay safe, right?"

"That's right, Clank." Phineas said. They arrived over Springtime Square "This is my favorite season." He said. "Everything comes to life in Spring. It's so colorful and so…" he trailed off, not able to find the words of how he felt about it. He wasn't sure Clank could understand how he saw it. "I just love it." He said finally.

"I can see why." Clank said, now looking at the colorful flowers "It's very pretty here."

"Aye, it is." Phineas nodded. He took Clank's hand again "C'mon. Let me show you Tinker's Nook." He pulled Clank along and they soon were floating over the Nook. "Here we are" he said, gesturing to the ground.

"Oh wow!" Clank said with amazement. "They're all so busy!" Everyone was flying about, working on autumn preparations.

"Indeed they are." Phineas agreed. "And this isn't even our busiest time." He stared through the lens, then turned to Clank who seemed to be astounded by all the work below. Phineas felt warm inside. He was ecstatic that his new friend was so captivated by the work of Tinkers.

"Com on, then. I'll show you around." Phineas said, floating down to Tinker's Nook. They landed in the main area, and Clank marveled at everything that went on around him. Carts were being made, pulley systems moved supplies from one end of the nook to the other, so many fairies were hard at work they seemed like a well oiled machine.

"You all do this every day?" Clank asked in awe.

"Indeed we do. A Tinker's job is never a bore." Phineas replied with a grin. " Come on, your house is this way."

"My house?" Clank gasped. "I have a house?"

"Well of course! What, did you think you were going to sleep on the ground?" Phineas laughed.

"I hadn't really thought about it." Clank admitted. He followed Phineas to a little house on the top of a hill. Phineas showed him inside and checked to make sure the other Tinkers had gotten everything set up while he was gone. It was a little cluttered, but Clank didn't seem to mind as he explored the little house.

"I had a feeling the new arrival would be a Tinker." Phineas explained. "So I asked the other workers to make sure it was ready for you. Sorry if it's a little messy though."

"It's perfect." Clank said, pulling open the closet. He pulled out one of the sets of clothes and held it up to his chest.

"I hope those fit." Phineas said "Go ahead and get dressed. Come and find me in the workshop when you're ready and I'll show you what you'll be working on."

"Rightio" Clank said, and with that Phineas left.

He went down to the workshop to find Fairy Mary. While on his way, however, he was stopped by Dozer, and his good mood faltered slightly.

"So where'd the new fairy end up this time, Bobble?" Dozer sneered, not having seen Clank when he showed.

"I've asked you not to call me that." Phineas said bitterly.

"Oh, don't be sad, Bobble." Dozer cooed sarcastically. "I'm sure you'll get a new Tinker to order around eventually. And you just know they'll be a screw up too, learning from you."

Phineas clenched his teeth and took a deep breath. "It's 'Phineas' first of all. And just because I make mistakes doesn't mean I'm a screw up. And furthermore, Dozer, I wouldn't be ordering anyone around. I'd be working alongside the new Tinker and you know that, so stop trying to make me sound like I want to boss someone around." He crossed his arms and glared at Dozer. "And just so you know. The new arrival is a Tinker. He's in his house now getting dressed."

Dozer hesitated, then grinned slyly. "Oh really? Well then I look forward to meeting him."

"Don't you dare torment him." Phineas growled. "He's more talented than you could ever hope to be."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Bobble." Dozer jeered, nearly making Phineas snarl in anger. "If he's as talented as you claim, then he has nothing to worry about." He pat Phineas on the cheek before flying off.

Phineas huffed, and tried to shake off the encounter. Dozer had been more and more sour towards him as the years passed, never giving him a reason as to why. But Dozer knew how to get under his skin and that drove Phineas mad.

He let out a sigh and was about to continue his search for Fairy Mary when another Tinker called him over to check under one of the carriages they'd been working on. His thin body made it easier for him to do this job, so he slid under the carriage and began checking the framework, making adjustments where he saw fit.

"Excuse me." He heard above him.

"Oh hi," said the fairy who'd called him over. "You must be new. Do you need something?"

"I'm looking for someone. I can't remember his name, but he was a real skinny fellow, and had a little bubble device he kept looking through."

"Is that you, Clank?" Phineas called from under the carriage.

Clank knelt down and peeked under the carriage. "Oh! There you are!" he said, then looked back at the fairy he'd been talking to. "I found him."

The fairy laughed. "Can you handle it from here?" she said under the carriage.

"Aye Tweak, I've got it." Phineas replied, and she moved on to another carriage.

Clank continued watching Phineas. "What are you doing down there?"

"I'm just making sure this frame is secure. I think it's good to go. Can you pull me out, Clank?" Phineas held his hand out to Clank who grabbed it and pulled him out a little too fast. Phineas's foot caught on the back wheel as he slid out and the carriage shifted slightly.

"Oops." Clank said as he set Phineas down.

"It's alright Clank" Phineas assured him.

"Well, let me at least check if I broke it." Clank said, kneeling by the wheel. Phineas felt a grin spread on his face watching Clank's natural Tinker instinct kick in. Phineas knelt beside him and watched him.

"What do you think, Clank? Is it alright?" Phineas asked.

"I think the wheel's loose." He said, rolling the carriage forward and back a few times. The wheel wobbled as it rolled, and Phineas grinned patting Clank on the shoulder.

"Aye, Clank, you're right. Let's fix that, shall we?" Phineas said, reaching over to help Clank. Just then Fairy Mary spotted them.

"Phineas!" She called. "How's the carriage?"

"Almost ready to go." Phineas said. "Just need to fix a loose wheel."

Clank tightened the wheel on the axel, "I think I've got it." He said.

"Ah! Well done!" Phineas cheered him.

"Who's this?" Fairy Mary asked.

"Oh, that's is Clank. He's just arrived today." Phineas said. "Clank, this is Fairy Mary."

"Oh wonderful!" Fairy Mary exclaimed as Clank stood up and faced her. "A new charge! Come on, then let's have a look at you." Clank seemed very confused as Mary checked him over. "Ah, a good strong sparrowman." She said, looking at his hands. "I'd imagine you'll do well here, Clank. You'll be working with Phineas for now. Is that alright?"

"Yeah, that's fine with me." Clank nodded.

"Come on then, we'd best get to work." Phineas said.

They kept busy all day. Phineas showed Clank everything they'd be working on for Autumn preparation, and Clank tried his hand at making each new thing he was shown. He proved to be rather clumsy, but would work through any mistakes he made to make a good product.

Phineas felt proud of Clank for catching on so quickly and wanted to be sure to give Clank more Tinkering options than what he'd had when he'd arrived five years ago. This would probably be easy, seeing as how Clank didn't have anything wrong with him.

When the work day drew to a close, Phineas was exhausted. They'd gotten a lot of work done, and Fair Mary was impressed.

"Nice work, you two." She said "Why don't you both go find some supper and pick up from here tomorrow?"

Right on cue, Clank's stomach growled. Both he and Phineas laughed. "Come on, Clank. I want you to meet some friends of mine."

A couple years ago, Rosetta had suggested that she, Silvermist and Phineas join each other for dinner every so often. So they would meet at the Baker Fairies' café that was located where Spring touched Summer. After Fawn arrived, she joined their group as well, so Phineas figured it would be alright if Clank came along too. Fawn spotted Clank and Phineas as soon as they walked in.

"Hey guys! Over here!" she called.

The boys made their way over and sat with the girls. Silvermist immediately greeted Clank cheerfully. "Hi Clank! I'm Silvermist. We're so glad Phin invited you. We were all so eager to meet you."

"I, uh, am glad to meet you too." Clank said, a little surprised by her energy. "who are you two then?" he asked pointing to Fawn and Ro.

"I'm Rosetta, and if you ever need any plant supplies, just gimme a holler."

"I'm Fawn, I was the new girl until you showed up." She smiled.

"So then, I guess I'm the new girl now?" Clank said with the slightest grin. His four companions all laughed and he smiled wider.

"So how was your first day, sugar plum?" Rosetta asked once they had ordered and received their food.

"It was amazing!" Clank said, clasping Phineas on the shoulder. "He's teaching me so much. I can't wait for tomorrow!"

Phineas laughed "Me either! Tomorrow we'll be working on decorations for the revalry. Not only that but we'll get to create some new items for the celebration."

"Like what?" Clank asked excitedly.

"I don't know yet. We'll figure that out in the morning."

"Goodness!" Rosetta exclaimed. "You'd think you two'd known each other for years!"

"You guys are so cute." Sil smiled. "And Phin, I can't remember the last time I've seen you this happy."

Phineas blushed slightly. "Well, it's nice to work with such a capable Tinker." He said nudging Clank.

They all chatted and laughed with each other for hours until one of the Baking Fairies informed them how late it was and that they should head home soon. Phineas led the way back to Tinker's Nook, using his hand lens to guide him. Clank stared at the lens, wondering why he kept using it.


	2. Sour Grape

Phineas got up early the next morning and headed to the workshop. He was gathering supplies to make revelry decorations, and may have been a bit over excited.

"Might want to slow down there, Bobble. Don't want to have another accident, do we?"

He felt his jaw clench. "I'm fine, thank you Dozer." He said flatly. He continued setting up his and Clank's work stations while Dozer lingered close by. Phineas kept having to maneuver around him, getting more and more annoyed. He'd set down the last of the supplies and could still feel Dozer watching him.

He heaved an annoyed sigh and turend to him. "Do you need something?"

"Not really." Dozer said smigly. "I'm just waiting for the new guy. I never got to meet him yesterday."

"Oh." Phineas said, turning back to his table. "Well he's not here yet."

"Of course he's not." Dozer shrugged.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Phineas demanded.

"Look, Bobble, you can't see anything, so I'm not surprised you missed this, but I saw you two working yesterday." Dozer said "And that new guy… Well, he really seemed like he wanted to get away from you. Y'know. Work with someone who can actually DO their job."

"I do my job better than you!" Phineas snapped, slamming his hand on the table.

"So you think." Dozer shrugged. "But don't be surprised if the new guy doesn't show." Phineas scowled at him. "and don't give me that look. I'm only telling you so he won't have to see you cry. Trust me. It's better this way."

"He'll be here" Phineas stated firmly. "I'm not falling for your tricks, Dozer."

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Dozer shrugged, hovering off the ground. As he flew away he called back "Try not to cry too hard, Bobble."

Phineas held back a frustrated scream and grabbed one of his projects. He tilted the large lens and got to work while he waited for Clank.

It got late in the morning and Phineas had constructed five decorative lanterns. Clank still wasn't there, and Phineas grew concerned. He decided to go look for him and headed towards the houses. Along the way, he ran into Fairy Mary.

"Have you seen Clank?" he asked her.

"No dear, I haven't. I thought he would be with you." She replied. "Is everything alright?" She could see the concern written all over Phineas.

"I'm sure it's fine." Phineas sighed, not sure he believed himself. "he probably just overslept."

"Well go wake him up then." Fairy Mary waved him off.

Phineas made his way to Clank's house, but he didn't answer when he knocked. He opened the door. "Clank, are you here?" He looked around, but the house was empty. He ssuddenly felt cold, as if a part of him had dropped out of his chest and replaced with ice. He took a deep breath to calm down. This didn't mean anything. Clank was probably waiting for him at their station. They probably just missed each other in passing.

He flew back to the workshop in a hurry. Best not to keep Clank waiting. He hoped Clank would be waiting. "Stop that, Phineas." He said to himself. "of course he is."

"Does this look alright?" he overheard as he was flying, making him stop in midair. He knew that voice. He took his hand lens from his belt and looked toward the voice and let out a hurt gasp.

"No no no! That's all wrong!" Dozer scolded and took the odd object from Clank.

"Oh. Can you show me again?" Clank asked.

The lens slipped from Phineas's hand. He flew back to his station, feeling twice as heavy. So Clank did want to work with someone else after all. He weakly kicked the table and suddenly felt angry. Well now he was stuck working with the worst Tinker he'd ever met, so it serves him right.

He dropped into his chair and continued on the lanterns. He tried not to think about Clank, but found it difficult. He seemed so happy yesterday. So kind, So eager to work, so eager to learn, so excited to work with him on revelry preparations. How could Phineas have misunderstood? Was he really that blind?

As lunch time drew near, Phineas recrafted his hand lens to go find something to eat. It wasn't as good as the one he'd dropped before, but it would do for now.

"Hey Phin!" Fawn flew up to him as he left Tinker's Nook. "Are you okay? You look upset… Hey, where's Clank?"

"With Dozer." Phineas answered sourly.

"What? Why?" Fawn gasped.

"I guess he wanted to work with a Tinker who can see."

"That's ridiculous!" Fawn said. "I'm so sorry, Phin. You want to come have lunch with me?"

He nodded. "I'd like that a lot."

They flew off to the meadow together where Fawn gathered some berries for them. They sat together in the tall grass and were joined by three chipmunks who Fawn had collected hazel nuts for.

"So Clank's working with Dozer now, huh?" Fawn said.

Phineas nodded. "Aye, seems that way. Would have been nice if he had talked to me first."

"He didn't even say anything to you?"

"No," Phineas said shaking his head. "I just found him working with Dozer even though I got his station all set up for him."

"This all seems so weird. You two were so happy and excited yesterday. Did anything happen after dinner?"

"Not that I can think of." Phineas sighed. "Dozer just told me this morning that Clank didn't look happy to be working with me, and that I was just too blind to see it."

"Wait," Fawn said. "Dozer said that? You sure this isn't just some trick of his?"

Phineas chewed his berry for a moment. "That's probably what's happening." He said. "Ugh, and I said I wouldn't fall for his lies, and yet here I am. I'm such a fool."

"Hey, don't worry about it too much, Phin." Fawn smiled, placing her hand on his shoulder. "At least you and I got to hang out. Just enjoy lunch with me now, and go talk to Clank later. I'll bet he's been wanting to see you all day."

"Thank you Fawn." He smiled.

When they had finished their lunch, Fawn flew with Phineas back to Tinker's Nook. "Good luck with Clank!" she said before flying off. He kept his ears open for Clank's voice as he made his way back to his station, but didn't hear or see him or Dozer anywhere. Assuming they were still on lunch break, he made his way back to his station. He was surprised to find his work pushed back and his hand lens on the table with a note underneath it.

 _Dear_ _Finy_ _Fini_ _Bobble,_

 _Sorry I was such a burden yesterday. I'll leave you alone. I learned a lot from you. Thank you._

 _-Clank_

 _I found your bubble thingy. I hope I fixed it right._

Phineas dropped the note and picked up the hand lens. The frame had been broken off and reattached to the handle. Phineas tugged it a little bit to make sure it was secured properly and smiled at Clank's handiwork.

"Well done, Clanky." He said quietly and got back to work.

Time got away from him as it tended to when he got focused on Tinkering. He made sixteen lanterns two pollywog tubs and nine acorn buckets. He was about to start another project when Fairy Mary called out to him.

"Phineas, dear. You've missed supper again." She said

He looked up, surprised at how dark it had gotten. "Again?" he sighed. There were plenty of times he had forgotten to go eat supper.

"Yes dear. It's time to stop for the day."

"Aye, alright." He started cleaning up, frowning a little. He had meant to watch for Clank's return. He must have been so absorbed in his work that he'd missed it entirely.

He hurried to Clank's house when his station was clean and knocked on the door. There was no answer, and no one ws inside when he peered through the window. Determined not to miss Clank again, he sat down in front of the house and waited. He was probably having supper somewhere. Phineas's stomach growled. Right, he hadn't eaten yet. He was tempted to go find something to eat, but forced himself to stay put and wait for Clank.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." A tired voice said from nearby. Phineas sat up straighter, recognizing it as Clank. A moment later Clank flew over the hill towards his home and his face lit up when he spotted Phineas.

"Bobble!" he flew up to him and hugged him.

Phineas was surprised by the enthusiastic greeting, but hugged Clank back all the same.

"I'm so sorry!" Clank said. "Can I please work with you again tomorrow? I'll try harder! I promise!"

"Clank, slow down." Phineas laughed, pushing away from him. "Did Dozer tell you I didn't want to work with you?"

Clank nodded. "Yeah, he said I kept messing up and that you'd rather work alone than clean up after me."

"I never said that." Phineas assured him. "Besides, your work was impeccable. No need for me to clean up after you. To tell you the truth, Dozer told _me_ that you didn't want to work with me either. He told me you wanted to get away from me yesterday."

"No! That's not true!" Clank shouted. "I never…"

"I know, Clanky. Don't worry about it." Phineas said, patting Clank on the shoulder. "The thing is, Dozer has never really liked me very much. The girls call him a Sour Grape. He goes out of his way to make things hard for me. Unfortunately that probably means he'll lie to you too."

"Why does he do that?" Clank asked.

"I have no idea." Phineas sighed.

"Okay, Bobble." Clank said. "I'll watch out for him."

Phineas hesitated. "Um. One more thing, Clank."

"What's that?"

"Don't call me Bobble."


	3. Revelry Decorations

Over the next few days Clank and Phineas found themselves up to their ears in revelry decorations. They crafted banners, lanterns, carts for the blue dust and more. They worked so well together, even if every now and then they would bicker over why something didn't work the way it was supposed to.

One thing they fought over a number of times was a special decoration they had designed. The idea was to make a pod Rosetta could fill with flower pigment that would then pop open and erupt with color at the start of the celebration. Numerous things went wrong with it though. The pod wouldn't open, or the color wouldn't burst. More than once the whole thing just fell apart on the table and the two of them would debate over what caused it, never coming to an answer. After a good twenty minutes of bickering over the thing Fairy Mary told them to give up on it and move on to something else. "Sometimes you have to accept when things just don't work" she'd explained.

Phineas noticed after that that Clank was slowing in his work. He was rather distracted and it showed in his work. The day he arrived he could make ten acorn buckets in an hour. Now he was only making five in the same amount of time. What was really concerning was that morning on the way to the shop, Clank – who wasn't paying attention to where he was going – ran right into the pulley system and broke it. The two of them were fixing it now.

"Clank, are you okay?" Phineas asked.

Clank yawned. "Of course," he replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you haven't been working as quickly lately. I know you've only been here a few days, but you were… I don't know… quicker before."

Clank rubbed his eyes. "I'm okay, really."

"Clank…" Phineas said, pulling his friend's attention from the pulley.

"Well… I guess I haven't been sleeping much." Clank admitted.

"Why not?" Phineas asked. "Is something on your mind?"

Clank paused, tying the pulley rope tight before he answered. "Why can't we get that pod to work?" he finally said.

Phineas was a little surprised. "You're losing sleep over that?"

"Well, yeah. It was special. Something you and me made together. That we made up. We can get the different parts to work on their own. Why can't we get them to work together like we do?"

"That's a silly thing to lose sleep over." Phineas said with a grin. "But I see what you mean."

"I think we should have another go at it." Clank said.

"Well," Phineas shrugged, turning the pulley to make sure it was working properly. "Why don't we work twice as hard to get our other tasks done early today? Then we can give the pod another shot."

Clank smiled, still tired. "Yeah?"

"Aye. I'd be willing to try that again if it means that much to you." Phineas agreed.

"Well alright then! Lets get to work!" Clank said excitedly.

They made their way to the workshop. But Clank's exhaustion really showed in his work. He made many careless mistakes which Phineas had to fix, and was incredibly slow in his progress as well. As evening drew closer, the frustration was clear in his face.

Phineas looked at the day's work. They were slightly behind schedule and the day was already over.

"I'm sorry." Clank said. "I was too slow."

"It's alright, Clank." Phineas assured him. "Get some sleep tonight and we can catch up tomorrow."

"But the pod." Clank whined.

"We'll get to it." Phineas promised. "And it will be the greatest decoration at the celebration, I'm sure.:

Phineas brought some supplies back to his home and worked late into the night, trying to put a dent in the work load for the next day. He eventually had to force himself to go to bed. After nagging Clank for not getting enough sleep he didn't want to be a hypocrite. He curled up and went to sleep thinking about how he could possibly get that darn pod to work properly.

He was woken up by a loud knocking on his door the next morning. He rolled out of bed with a groan and sauntered to the door, opening to see a very excited Clank grinning from ear to ear.

"Clanky…? What are you… Did I oversleep?" Phineas yawned.

"No, but I couldn't wait to show you something!" Clank explained. He grabbed Phineas's hand and started to pull him out the door.

"Wait! Wait Clank! I'm not dressed!" Phineas protested.

"Oh! Right, sorry." Clank let go. Phineas chuckled and floated to his closet. He took off his night shirt and pulled out his work clothes. Almost as soon as he had his shirt buttoned, Clank grabbed his arm again and pulled him out the door.

"Clank! What has gotten into you?" Phineas shouted.

"I just really want to… Oh! Wait, I almost forgot!" Clank suddenly turned, and plucked a nearby blade of grass.

"What's that for? HEY!" Clank quickly covered Phineas's eyes and tied the grass behind his head like a blindfold. "Clank! I have a hard enough time seeing already! Why are you doing this?"

He was getting pretty annoyed with Clank's antics, but his friend once again took his hand and guided him along. "It's a surprise." Clank insisted.

Phineas let out an exasperated sigh as he followed blindly. He could hear the sounds of others working. A few laughed while wishing good morning as they flew by.

"Looking good there, Bobble." Dozer's voice cut through the rest of the noise, and he felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment.

Clank finally stopped and removed the blindfold. Phineas rubbed his eyes before seeing a pink blur on his work table. He reached for his hand lens, and discovered it wasn't on his hip. Clank had pulled him out of the house so quickly he didn't get his belt with all his supplies.

"What am I looking at, Clank?" he sighed.

"It's the color pod!" Clank replied excitedly. "Go ahead! Have a look!" Phineas raised an eyebrow at Clank, but went to the table. He pulled his large lens over and examined the pod. "You used flower petals instead of nut shells?" he asked. "Don't you think that will be too flimsy?"

"It'll be fine, just watch." Clank reached over to open the petals.

"WAIT CLANK!" Phineas warned but was too slow. The color spurt out of the pod and into the water lens. The drop was shaken up and popped, soaking the pod.

"Oops."

"Oops indeed." Phineas agreed. "Clank, you need to be more careful."

"Sorry." Clank said, sounding incredibly disappointed. "It almost worked though."

"It did work, Clank!" Phineas assured him. "Though I'm not sure it works now that it's soaked." He stopped. "Wait, when did you make this?"

"Last night." Clank said. "I wanted to surprise you."

Phineas smiled. "It's brilliant. But did you sleep?"

Clank rubbed his arm sheepishly. "Well, no."

"Clank…" Phineas scolded.

"I'm sorry!"

"It's alright. Just promise me you'll sleep tonight."

"Okay." Clank agreed.

"Good. Now lets see if we can fix this." Phineas reached for his hip, forgetting he didn't have his belt. "I can't see." He sighed.

"Where's your bubble device?" Clank asked.

"I forgot it at home." He admitted. "I was a bit rushed getting out of the house if you recall."

"Oh. Sorry." Clank said. "Do you want me to go get it for you?"

"That would be nice." Phineas said. "It's by my bed. Can you get my belt too? It should be next to my lens."

"Rightio!" Clank said and hurried off.

Phineas turned to the pod and pushed the lens stand aside. He turned the pod upside down to drain the water then saw what Clank meant by it _almost_ worked. There was still quite a bit of flower pigment inside that didn't burst from the pod. He leaned in closer and turned the pod around trying to see what went wrong. It had been a while since he had examined something this closely.

"Hello, what's this?" He reached into the pod and pulled out a frayed piece of twine and a broken twig. He checked how they had been placed inside the pod and realized that the twine had snapped the twig when the pod opened.

"Maybe if I…" he mumbled as he replaced the two pieces, switching how they were positioned. "There… Now that twig shouldn't snap…" he stepped back just as Clank returned.

"I think I got everything." He said, handing Phineas his lens and his belt.

"Thank you, Clank." Phineas said as he tied his belt around his waist. I made an adjustment on the pod. Shall we see if it works?"

"Alright!" Clank agreed excitedly. They reloaded the pod and got ready to test it. Clank held his breath, and Phineas opened the pod. Finally it worked exactly how they had imagined. The petals burst open and the flower pigment shot out in a brilliant must high in the air and sprinkled down on the table.

"It worked!" Clank cheered. "Bobble it worked!"

Phineas smiled from ear to ear. "Excellent, Clanky! You did it!"

"You were the one who fixed it!" Clank said, hugging Phineas happily. "How'd you do it anyway?"

Phineas explained the problem with the twig and twine while clank examined the pod, nodding with understanding.

"But how'd you find that so quick? I mustve worked on this ten times last night."

Phineas laughed. "Well, sometimes it helps to have someone else look at your work, to get a differe3nt perspective on it. Someone else can see mistakes you miss. I'm sure over time you'll fix plenty of my mistakes too."

Clank was about to say something when Fairy Mary flew up to them. "What's this?" She questioned upon seeing the pod on the table and pink powder everywhere.

"Guess what Fairy Mary!" Phineas said "Clank got the pod working!"

"Almost," Clank shrugged. "Bobble's the one who got it working right."

Fairy Mary gave a shocked look to Phineas who smiled brightly. "Phineas, you…" She shook her head. "You got the pod working? Let's see it then."

They showed her how the pod worked and she absolutely loved it. "That's fantastic, boys! How many do you think you can make before the revalry?"

Phineas paused and thought a moment. "Well now that we know how it works, between the two of us we aught to be able to craft at least five in a work day."

"The celebration is two weeks away." Mary continued. "So then somewhere around seventy?"

"Should factor in room for error." Phineas said.

"I'd guess around sixty then." Clank said.

"Good. Then get to work boys." Mary said.

"But, we're already behind on other things." Clank said.

"Oh, don't worry about that Clank." Mary said. "we can manage. I'm sure I could get someone else to finish up the rest of the other decorations"

"Good!" Phineas said. "Let's get to work, Clanky."

It was tricky to get the pods crafted in that time frame. Phineas thought maybe he'd set the bar a little too high for them. The first pod had given them a lot of trouble but using it as a reference made it a lot easier. After a while they worked out a system. One would work on the burst mechanism while the other made the outer pod. They would switch off from day to day who did what.

It was a good system, but after a week and a half, Phineas noticed Clank getting slower again. He started making mistakes that he shouldn't have and Phineas would go and correct them. It was beginning to get frustrating. Especially because Phineas knew Clank was more capable than this. Clank was even getting frustrated with himself which didn't help his craftsmanship in the slightest. More than once he accidentally made the same twig and twine mistake that Phineas had fixed with the first pod, and each time Phineas patently showed him where he messed up. However his patience was beginning to thin.

The day before the revelry they had made fifty-two pods. Phineas had hoped they would have exceeded their quota of sixty by now. Their "room for error" was a lot larger than they had anticipated. Clank was loading the pods they'd created the day before while Phineas was trying to quickly assemble more.

"Gotta admit, Bobble." A jeering voice said behind him. "Those color buds are pretty nifty. Even if you making those did force me to add onto my work load."

Too tired to think what Dozer might be up to this time, Phineas just said "Thank you" and continued working.

"Isn't it odd though?" Dozer said, sitting on the table by the pod Phineas was working on. "You seem to be doing all the work now while the big guy just loads the pods?"

"Clank does his fair share." Phineas said. "I'm just trying to pick up the slack."

"Oh dear, are you guys behind on your work?" Dozer said with mock sympathy.

"Aye. It happens sometimes." Phineas said, not looking up.

"And how did you get behind, Bobble?" Dozer prodded.

Phineas took a deep breath. "Clank was working a little slower than usual. And we had to correct a few mistakes here and there."

"Certainly not YOUR mistakes, Bobble." Dozer said. "You're always the one to FIX mistakes, aren't you?"

Phineas glared at him.

"So how many of these things did you have to fix?" Dozer smirked.

"What are you getting at, Dozer?" Phineas growled. He was tired and frustrated enough already.

"My point is why do you even bother having him do anything if you're just going to have to clean up after him?"

Phineas glanced toward Clank to make sure he wasn't paying attention. "Clank is the most talented Tinker we've got." He hissed "When he arrived, that hammer glowed brighter than the sun. But he's still young and needs to grow and make mistakes! You know, so he can learn from them!"

Dozer chuckled. "If he grows much bigger, we're not gonna have rome for him in the Nook."

Phineas squeezed his pliers too hard and snapped part of the release mechanism, making the pod spring open and hit him in the face. Dozer laughed at him.

Phineas felt his cheeks burn with rage. "Would you get out of here?!" he shouted. "I'm having a hard enough time cleaning up after Clank to deal with you right now!"

"Whatever you say, Bobble." Dozer shrugged and flittered off. Phineas slammed his hands on the table and heaved a few angry breaths. He glanced over at Clank, realizing he had stopped what he was doing. He couldn't make out Clank's expression.

"What?" Phineas demanded.

"Do you… want me to work on those for a while?" Clank asked hesitantly

Phineas let out a heavy sigh. "No, I've got it."

Clank came over to him. "Please, let me help." He said, reaching for the pod.

"I said I've got it, Clank!" Phineas snapped, pushing clank back. He stumbled and knocked over the large lens. The drop slashed on the ground and Clank accidentally stepped on one of the posts, snapping it in half.

Phineas gasped and stared at the broken lens on the ground. It was the first thing he had ever made on his own. He screamed in frustration and words started flying before he knew what he was saying.

"Clank! Why can't you just listen to me?!" He yelled. "Why do you have to ruin everything?! We're so behind on work and it's YOUR fault! Why can't you do ANYTHING right?"

"I… I'm sorry, Bobble."

"PHINEAS!" he screamed. "MY name is PHINEAS! You can't even get THAT right!" he shoved past Clank in a rage, not even realizing how badly he had reacted. Clank stared after him sadly, then turned to clean up the broken pieces of the lens.


	4. Another Perspective

Phineas didn't know where he was flying to, but he stopped when he heard Rosetta call his name.

"Are you alright?" she asked when she caught up with him. She had never seen him so angry.

"No!" he spat and tried to fly away again, but Rosetta grabbed his hand.

"Come talk to me, sugar." She said gently. Phineas stared at her, groaned heavily and pulled his hand away before following her. They sat on the leaves of a sunflower and Phineas explained what happened with Dozer. Rosetta nodded in understanding, but then Phineas started talking about Clank.

"I just don't understand! He's a mess! He keeps messing up things he used to do perfectly, he gets everything wrong, including my name and he's so clumsy that he breaks everything!" he huffed. "He broke my lens Rosetta! It was the first thing I made, and how I got to be friends with Silvermist and he broke it!"

Rosetta took a deep breath. "Phineas, I know you're upset, but did you really yell at Clank like that?"

"I…" suddenly everything he had said started to sink in. "Aye, I suppose I did."

"I seem to remember another Tinker who made a lot of mistakes when he first got here. Broke plenty of things too and I even heard he ended up dangling from a tree one time." Rosetta said coolly. "How long has Clank been here now?"

"Three weeks." Phineas sighed.

"Mm hm" Rosetta hummed.

"But he should be better than this!" Phineas shouted, his frustrations returning.

"Calm down, Phin. You're not mad at Clank. You're mad at Dozer and took it out on Clank."

"I know! I know." Phineas groaned. "But I stand by it. Clank should be a better Tinker than this."

"Why?" Rosetta asked.

Phineas shot her a confused look. "You know why." He said.

"No, Phin, I don't." Rosetta said calmly.

"Really?"

"Really. Why do you think Clank should be such a great Tinker?" Rosetta urged.

Phineas shrugged, not knowing how she could have missed it, especially because she could see. "Did you sleep through his arrival or something?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well," he paused. "You were there! You saw him find his talent, didn't you?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"What do you mean, 'so what'? It glowed brighter than the sun!" Phineas exclaimed. "Shouldn't that mean he's immensely talented?"

Now Rosetta looked at him like he'd said rain fell up instead of down. "What are you talkin' about?"

"What do you mean? I'm talking about Clank! His talent!"

"Phin, honey, Clank's talent glowed bright, sure, but it wasn't _that_ impressive." Rosetta said.

"What? Yes it was!" he insisted.

"Yours was brighter." Rosetta said.

"No! His was immensely brighter than mine!" Phineas argued.

"Phineas, I know you find Clank special, but I was there for both y'all's arrivals and your talent glowed brighter" Rosetta explained. "Now I'm not sayin' his wasn't bright. Clank will definitely be a brilliant tinker given time, but he might not be as talented as you're expectin' So try not to put too much pressure on him."

"But…" Phineas hesitated. "I swear it glowed brighter than…"

"Fawn!" Rosetta called out to the passing animal Fairy.

"Hey guys!" Fawn flew up to them "I was just looking for you."

"Quick question" Rosetta said. "How bright did Clank's talent glow at his arrival ceremony?"

"Huh? I don't know. Pretty bright I guess." Fawn shrugged.

"How bright?" Phineas urged.

"Why are you asking me?" Fawn asked. "You were both there."

"How bright, Fawn?" Phineas repeated.

"I…I dunno! About as bright as… maybe ten fireflies? Why?"

"Seriously?" Phineas threw his hands in the air. "Only ten?"

"Maybe twelve."

"More like a thousand!" Phineas shouted.

"What? No way." Fawn laughed. "I'd say his glowed as much as mine, and my talent wasn't as bright as a thousand fireflies."

"How did neither of you see it?" Phineas questioned. "I could hardly look at it!"

"Maybe because your sight's different?" Fawn suggested.

"No! That's not what it was!" Phineas insisted.

"Why is this so important?" Fawn asked.

"He thinks Clank isn't meeting his potential." Rosetta explained.

"He's not!" Phineas shouted. "He should be better than this!"

"Hey! Hey, calm down, Phin." Fawn said as she sat beside him.

"Look, we all know you really care about Clank." Rosetta said. "In fact, we know he's your favorite person."

"I never said that." Phineas said, even though part of him agreed it was true.

"You don't really need to." Fawn said.

"What do you mean?" Phineas asked.

Rosetta gave him a look. "I don't know, Bobble, you tell us."

Phineas glared at her. "Why did you call me that? You know I hate that name." He hissed.

"Don't seem to hate it when Clank says it." Rosetta shrugged.

"That's ridiculous, I just yelled at him for it before I came out here."

"Yes, but you were already mad before that." Rosetta said. "Mad at Dozer."

"What did he do now?" Fawn asked.

"I'll tell you later." Rosetta waved off Fawn's question. "Phineas, you don't like that name because of Dozer. But when Clank says it you don't seem to mind."

Phineas crossed his arms over his chest. "He doesn't say it that often."

"Ha!" Fawn laughed. "Are you kidding me? I don't think I've _ever_ heard him call you Phineas."

"Of course he has!" Phineas argued.

"When?" Rosetta asked.

Phineas thought a moment. He knew he'd told Clank before not to call him Bobble, He had said that he wouldn't. But did he say "Phineas" then? No. He hadn't. Perhaps the next day? No, He hadn't really used a name at all the next day. What about after that? No. He had just called him Bobble. Had he really never noticed Clank was doing that? "Great. He spends one day with Dozer, and now I'm labeled as 'Bobble' forever."

"It's not a bad nickname." Fawn said.

"It's terrible!" Phineas spat.

"Only because you let it be" Rosetta said. "You know Dozer only calls you that because it makes you angry. If you would let go and get over what happened to you, then maybe it wouldn't bother you so much."

"I don't even know what happened to you." Fawn pointed out. "So I don't know why you hate that name."

"And Clank doesn't either." Rosetta said.

Phineas sighed. "I suppose not." He glanced at Fawn. "Hey, you said you were looking for us?"

"Oh! Right!" Fawn jumped up. "Silvermist needs you, C'mon!"

The three of them flew to the creek where Sil was waiting. To Phineas's surprise, Clank was with her.

"There you are." Silvermist said as they landed.

"Bobble!" Clank hurried to him, but stopped short. "I… I mean…"

"Don't worry about it." Phineas said, still sounding bitter.

"I'm so sorry about before, I've just been so tired and…"

Don't worry about it, Clank." Phineas said again. "I was mad at Dozer. I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

Clank sighed. "That's a relief."

Phineas looked to Silvermist. "You needed us for something?"

"Not me." Sil replied. "Clank did."

"Really, I just needed you." Clank said.

"This couldn't wait until I came back?" Phineas raised an eyebrow. He must have still looked irritated judging by the way Clank was fidgeting.

"I… um…"

"Would you relax, Phin?" Sil scolded. "You're making him nervous."

"No, no I'm alright. Could you sit down Bo- Phineas?" Clank asked.

Phineas hesitated. His name sounded foreign in Clank's voice. Had he really never called him that before? He sat down on a rock and waited.

"Um. Close your eyes." Clank instructed.

"No blindfolds today?" Phineas asked sourly.

"Just close them!" Fawn huffed.

Phineas sighed and covered his eyes. He felt large hands take his own and pull them off his face. "Don't cover them. Just close them." Clank said. Phineas felt him put something around the back of his head and pulled it down over his eyes. It didn't feel like a blindfold.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"You'll see." Clank said, easing him back gently until he was lying down.

Phineas crossed his arms and grimaced. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"Don't be like that." Clank said. "Would you just trust me?"

"I'm sorry." Phineas said.

Clank tightened the thing on his face until it fit snugly. "Is that too tight?"

"No… It's fine." Phineas said. "What is this thing? Can I take it off?"

"Why? Is it uncomfortable?" Clank asked.

"No."

"Then no, leave it on." Clank said. "Miss Silvermist?"

"Got it." Sil said. Phineas could feel her hovering over him and a moment later was gone. Clank helped Phineas back into a sitting position and adjusted the strap on the back of his head one more time. He could feel his irritation dissolve as clank worked and was replaced with curiosity.

"Okay." Clank said, taking his hands away. "Open your eyes."

Phineas reached for the thing on his face. "No, no, no!" Clank grabbed his hands. "Leave it. Just open your eyes."

Phineas took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes. Clank was kneeling in front of him with an eager grin spread across his face. He glanced behind him where Sil, Ro, and Fawn were floating and watching him carefully. He looked down at his lap where Clank was still holding his hands. He withdrew them from Clank as he looked back up at him, a smile spreading on his own face. He let out a laugh, and Clank's smile widened. The girls flew a little closer. Phineas laughed again, and reached up to touch this amazing thing Clank put on him.

"How do you like it?" Clank asked.

Phineas threw his arms around Clank's neck and hugged him tightly. "Thank you!" he laughed happily. "Thank you so much!"

"This is incredible!" he said, letting go of Clank. "I can see! I can see all of you! I can see everything!"

Clank and the girls laughed cheerfully. "I'm so glad it worked!" Clank said.

"Oh my goodness! Everything is so clear!" Phineas exclaimed. "And I don't have to hold anything to see it!" He turned around a couple of times to take everything in.

Clank clasped him on the shoulder. "I'm glad you like it. Should we head back to work now?"

"Are you kidding?" Phineas gasped. "I've never been able to see this well! I want to look around! See _everything!_ "

Clank looked to the girls with a smile, then back to Phineas. "Well then, Bobble, why don't we give you the grand tour of Pixie hollow?"

Phineas beamed. "I'd love that, Clanky."

"Oh! We should start at the Pixie Dust Tree!" Silvermist exclaimed. "After all, you are seeing it for the first time, aren't you?"

The five of them flew to the Tree and landed on the Arrival Platform. The girls each took their seats as they would if a new fairy really had just arrived. Clank didn't know where to go so he hovered behind Rosetta.

"Step forward Tinker Fairies" Rosetta called out.

"And meet the newest member of your talent guild" Silvermist continued.

"Phineas T. Kettletree Esquire!" Fawn finished. They all gave a small cheer as Clank flew up to Phineas.

"Heidy Ho, Mr. Esquire! I'm Clank!" he said loudly. "Allow me to show you around!"

Phineas couldn't help but laugh, but played along. "Why thank you Clank," The girls flew ahead of them as Clank took Phineas's hand and guided him from the tree. He remembered his arrival and how he had to ask Fairy Mary to hold his hand when they departed. He didn't need Clank to hold onto him now, but as Clank started introducing the seasons to him, he decided he didn't mind.

"This is Summer Glade. That's the season we're in now, and when all the fruit gets ripe and everything is at its hottest. It's the season I was born in." Clank explained, then led him to Autumn. "You've arrived at the perfect time, Bobble."

"Why's that Clanky?" Phineas laughed, remembering how he had said that to Clank when he'd arrived.

"Because tomorrow we celebrate the Autumn Revelry. But this year is special." Clank explained.

"Because of the Blue Harvest Moon?" Phineas asked, watching the girls ahead of them show off their talents as they flew. They were amazing. Rosetta was changing the colors of leaves. Silvermist was making a light rain, and Fawn was guiding a group of dragonflies.

"Nope." Clank said, making Phineas stop.

"No? Well what's so special about it?" Phineas asked curiously.

"Well," Clank hesitated. "It's special because we're both gonna see it for the first time."

Phineas was speechless. He felt his face grow warm. Clank smiled at him and motioned for him to follow.

"C'mon slow pokes!" Fawn called as they flew towards the border of Fall and Winter.

Spring was still Phineas's favorite, but seeing it clearly only made him love it more. Silvermist threw a spray of water over some tulips and Rosetta urged them to bloom. It was all magnificent and Phineas wanted to see more.

"We'll have to do more another time." Rosetta said finally.

"Yeah, we all still have a lot to do before the revelry." Silvermist agreed.

"Aye, I suppose that's true." Phineas sighed. "Clank and I have a lot to do as well."

"So we'll see you later then?" Clank asked.

"Sure thing!" Fawn said. "See you guys later!"

"See you" Phineas smiled. He still couldn't get over that he really could see now.

Phineas watched Clank as they flew back to Tinker's Nook. He was so kind, and probably the largest fairy he'd ever seen. Well, maybe Fairy Gary was bigger. He wasn't sure, but even so, he carried himself well. Clank looked back at him and smiled. He was always so happy, Phineas thought. Then he noticed the shadows under his eyes. Those must have been from all the nights he spent not sleeping. Suddenly something dawned on him.

"Clank," Phineas said as they arrived at their stations.

"Yes, Bobble?"

"Is this the _real_ reason you haven't been sleeping?" he asked, touching his new goggles.

Clank paused, then grinned. "Yeah. I wanted to wait and give them to you tomorrow. But after I broke your other lens… Besides I finished them last night so…" He let out a yawn. "Though, to be honest I was making pods at night too, so you wouldn't guess what I was up to. I couldn't figure out how big to make the strap at first."

"So you stayed up to make the working pod to have an excuse to blindfold me the next day?" Phineas asked.

"Yup. I thought it was a clever plan." Clank said.

"Aye, it was. Plus now we have the working pods, thanks to you." Phineas pointed out.

Clank yawned again. "I'm just glad you like the goggles."

Phineas chuckled. "Aye, thank you Clank. But now you have no excuse to stay up late."

"Unless we don't get these pods done." Clank laughed.

"Clank…"

"Alright, I promise I'll sleep tonight." Clank said as he picked up his tools and started working on the pod Phineas had been working on earlier.

Phineas started work on another pod. He reached up and touched the goggles again, smiling as he did so. "I can't believe I never thought to make something like this myself."

"Well, it's like you said isn't it?" Clank said. "Sometimes you have to let someone else see a problem from another perspective to solve it."

"Aye," Phineas said, getting to work. "I suppose that's true."

There was still much to do before tomorrow night and they had lost a good chunk of the day now. Phineas wasn't about to complain. The goggles made work much easier now that he didn't have to maneuver around lenses or only have one free hand at a time. Even still, he was distracted. He kept touching the goggles, smiling, looking over to Clank while he worked and noticed he seemed to be slowing down too. When he saw Clank rub his eyes for the third time he set down his tools and pushed Clank's work away from him.

"Am I messing up again?" Clank asked.

"No. But you need to take a break." Phineas said. "You're exhausted. Put your head down for a minute."

"But…" Clank yawned again.

"I'll keep working so we don't fall more behind. You rest." Phineas said gesturing that he lay his head down. Clank yawned one more time and complied. He watched Phineas for a few minutes resting his chin on his arms but before long he was snoring softly. Phineas chuckled and continued working.

After about half an hour, Phineas was startled by Fairy Mary's voice behind him. "You two decided to come back, I see." She did not sound happy.

Phineas spun around "Fairy Mary! I… I'm…"

"You both disappeared without informing me and Clank… Is he asleep?" she pushed past Phineas.

"Please don't wake him!" Phineas begged.

"Why not?" she demanded. "You two are behind on work as it is!"

"He… He's exhausted." Phineas said. "He's hardly slept for the past couple weeks."

"Why's that?" she asked crossly. "And when did you make that?" she pointed to his face.

Phineas smiled and touched the goggles again. "Clank's been staying up every night making them for me. I can see now, Fairy Mary."

Fairy Mary raised an eyebrow. "Really now?" Phineas nodded to her. She sighed "Alright then. I'll leave Clank alone. But you, mister, had better get to work. Double time."

"Yes, Fairy Mary!" Phineas saluted her and turned to his work.

"And Phineas?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you can see now." Fairy Mary smiled at him before flying off.

Phineas finally woke Clank up hours later. The sun had long since gone down and he'd finished five more pods, putting them at fifty seven. Clank felt awful for sleeping so long, but Phineas insisted it was fine. Fawn had stopped by and brought supper for them both which they ate in the work station together before Phineas escorted Clank home. Tomorrow night was the revelry and Phineas wanted them both well rested for it. He went home and lay in bed with the goggle around his neck, still grinning as he fell asleep.


	5. The Revelry

_Phineas stood in the work yard. Everyone was flying around him keeping their distance. At his feet was all manner of broken objects. He could hear everyone around him whispering. "He breaks more than he fixes." "He's so useless." "What good is a Tinker who can't see?"_

 _"_ _Please… Help me… I want to be useful…" Phineas called to everyone._

 _"_ _You'll never be useful." Dozer appeared in front of him. "You were a mistake." Everything around them went dark. There was only Phineas and Dozer in the darkness._

 _"_ _No… I can be useful. I can do things." Phineas said weakly._

 _"_ _Just admit it, you're nothing." Dozer said._

 _"_ _I won't." Phineas whispered._

 _"_ _What was that?"_

 _"_ _I won't!" Phineas said louder. "I'm not useless!"_

 _Dozer faded away and a bright light shined above Phineas. He looked up at it. Something… someone emerged from the light and came close to him._

 _"_ _Clank…" Phineas reached out to him and Clank took his hand. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."_

 _"_ _You're the best Tinker I've ever seen." Clank smiled. They sat together in a grassy meadow._

 _"_ _Why didn't anyone else see you glow as much as I did?" Phineas asked._

 _"_ _You know why." Clank said. "It's me. I'm the one the Queen told you about. I'm the one you're waiting for."_

 _"_ _What does that mean?"_

 _"_ _What do you want it to mean?" Clank asked. Phineas didn't have an answer. "Do you trust me?" Clank asked._

Phineas woke with wet shoulders. He'd moved around a lot in his sleep making the water drops pop. He'd dealt with a similar problem with his hand lens. He pulled the goggles off and grabbed his tool belt from the bed post.

He pulled a dropper he'd made two years ago from his pouch and dripped new drops into the goggles and pulled them over his eyes then got up to get ready for the day. He went to check his reflection, not having seen what he looked like with the goggles yet. They made his eyes look huge, but he agreed with Fawn that it was a good look for him. HE also noticed his face was tinted red, almost like he was feverish.

His mind wandered to the dream he'd had. " _What do you want it to mean?_ " He bit his lip and his face grew redder. He snapped out of his thoughts as someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" he called.

"It's me!" Clank's voice answered. " _I'm the one you're waiting for._ "

Phineas took a deep breath and went to let Clank inside.

"Are you as excited as I am?" Clank asked as soon as the door was open.

Phineas was confused for a moment. "Right, the revelry." He said finally "Yes, of course."

"Are you alright?" Clank asked, "You look hot. Did I wake you up again?" He took notice that Phineas was still in his pajamas.

"What? Oh, no. I'm fine. I just got up a few minutes ago. I just haven't had a chance to change yet."

"But why's your face all red?" Clank asked with concern.

"I… um…" Phineas wasn't sure what to say. "I had a strange dream last night." It wasn't a lie, but he wished he hadn't brought it up.

"What about?" Clank asked.

"It's not important." Phineas said. "I'm fine. Give me a minute to get dressed." He moved to the closet as Clank shut the door behind him. Phineas pulled off his night shirt and started looking for his work clothes. He glanced over at Clank who was still waiting patiently by the door. Suddenly he was very aware of Clank's presence and quickly pulled his clothes on. He grabbed his belt and tied in around his waist.

"Okay, let's go." Phineas said.

"Do you have everything?" Clank asked.

"Aye. Now lets go." Phineas tried to hurry out the door.

Clank grabbed his arm, "Are you sire you're okay?"

"I'm fine." Phineas insisted. "We'd better hurry. The celebration isn't going to set itself up." Clank didn't look convinced, but didn't press the issue and let go. Phineas wasn't sure why he was acting this way anyway. His chest felt tight and his mouth was dry. He needed to ignore it. There was too much work to be done.

They got to the workshop and began loading decorations into a wagon. The work helped Phineas relax and by the time they were ready to head to the Banquet Hall, he felt normal again. He sat beside Clank and they were on their way.

They got to work setting up along with fairies of every talent. Fawn was working with butterflies while Silvermist spoke with some fish. Rosetta brought the boys more flower pigment for their pods.

"I can't wait to see them in action." Rosetta smiled. "They're sure to be the main attraction tonight. Besides the scepter that is."

Clank grinned. "Thank you Rosetta. I can't wait either!"

"Aye, it's very exciting" Phineas agreed as he started unloading. "Clanky, can you line up that side of the hall? I'll take this side."

They split up and started lining up the east and west sides of the hall. Each side would get twenty eight pods, leaving one extra. Phineas glanced around trying to decide where would be the best place to leave that one.

"So is this the newest fashion trend or do you just enjoy looking ridiculous?" Phineas heard Dozer behind him.

"What are you talking about?" Phineas glared at him "I always wear this." He floated past Dozer to set up the next pod.

"The mask. Bobble. It makes you look ridiculous."

Phineas took a breath to stay calm. "I for one like my new look."

"Not like you can see it." Dozer sneered.

Phineas turned to face Dozer. "Well, no I can't at the moment. I don't have a mirror at the moment. But I do know that I at least look better than you with that sneer on your face. Don't you have anything better to do? I thought you were in charge of hanging lanterns." Phineas looked around. "There don't seem to be any up yet. Maybe you should get on that, Dozer."

Dozer was stunned. "You… You can…"

"See you?" Clank came up behind him. "Yeah, he can."

"Thanks to this 'ridiculous mask' as you call it." Phineas said triumphantly.

"Yeah, well…" Dozer fished for words.

"Just fly away Dozer." Phineas said.

"You can't bother him anymore, so quit trying." Clank shoed him away. Dozer glared at the pair of them with a look that read 'I'm not done with you yet' before flying off to the wagon full of lanterns.

Phineas exhaled heavily as Clank turned to him with a huge smile. "You stood up to him!" he exclaimed.

Phineas chuckled. "Aye, I did, didn't i?"

Clank pat him on the back. "I'm so proud of you!"

Phineas glanced around and saw Fawn, Sil and Rosetta were all watching him, all looking pleased with him. "It's no big deal." He said, though his expression showed how happy he was with himself. "Are you done setting up your pods?"

"Oh! No not yet." Clank said. "Better get back to work." He gave Phineas one more pat on the back before hurrying off to the other end of the hall. Every Fairy spent hours setting up the hall. Phineas decided their extra pod could be at the entrance of the hall and would go off when the bearer of the scepter flew over it. They began stringing together the pods so they could set them off along with the first one.

"Alright. That should be everything." Phineas said. "Let's test it once more before we load them."

"Got it." Clank said. He flew over to the end of the chain of pods on the west side and Phineas set them off. "This side works!" Clank called to him, then flew across to the other end. "Looks like this one did too!" They reset the pods, this time with the flower pigment inside, then began hanging streamer. Dozer was hanging lanterns, but was deliberately avoiding them whenever they came anywhere near him, which Phineas was glad for. Seems the tables had turned in his favor for once.

Evening fell and all the decorations were set up. Rosetta had done beautiful flower arrangements, Fawn stood ready to signal butterflies and Silvermist was with other Water Fairies ready to show a special surprise of their own. Phineas and Clank stood with the first pod, ready to set it off.

Queen Clarion hovered up at the head of the hall with the Minister of Autumn and the leader of the Fast Fliers. The Blue Harvest Moon would be rising soon.

"I'm so excited, Bobble." Clank whispered.

"So am I" Phineas whispered back.

"You guys ready?" someone said behind them. It was Zag, a fast flier. He was holding the fall scepter, the moon stone shining brightly.

"Zag, the scepter looks amazing!" Phineas said.

"Thanks," Zag said. "I worked hard on it. I don't know how you Tinkers make stuff from scratch all the time."

The moon began to rise. "That's my cue." Zag said and started to fly forward. Clank knelt down by the pod. Zag passed the third pod in the lineup.

"Now, Clanky." Phineas said, and Clank set off the pods. A beautiful mist of color followed Zag up to the front of the hall fading from red to violet like a rainbow. It was exactly how they had imagined it.

Zag stopped before Queen Clarion just as the last of the mist sprinkled down and presented the scepter to her.

"For centuries we have celebrated the rise of the Blue Harvest Moon." She said to the crowd. "Tonight we celebrate new life of the Pixie Dust tree. Zag, you may now place the scepter." Zag put the scepter in the pedestal as the moon rose higher. The beams passed through the stone and lit up the hall. Blue dust formed and sprinkled down in the hall, and every fairy watched in awe.

A cheer rose up from the crowd and Fawn signaled her butterflies. As they flew to the sky, Silvermist and the other water fairies brought a stream of water into the air with fish swimming through it, amazing everyone in the hall. Everyone began gathering the dust and the Minister of Autumn called "To the Pixie Dust Tree!"

Clank and Phineas joined the processional, carrying cups of Blue Dust.

"That was amazing!" Clank exclaimed.

"It truly was." Phineas agreed. He paused for a moment then said "Thank you for helping me see it."

Clank blushed a little and they followed to the Tree where Fairies began pouring much of the blue dust in the Pixie Dust well. The Tree seemed to breathe and grow younger as the Dust fused with it. The Dust Keepers gathered the remaining dust to be kept for daily fusing over the next eight years.

The excitement began to die down and everyone started returning home. Phineas pulled Clank aside.

"What is it?" Clank asked.

"I'd like to look around some more." Phineas said. He had never seen Pixie Hollow at night. "Will you come with me?"

Clank looked towards Tinker's Nook, then back to Phineas. The eager look on his face was all the persuasion Clank needed. "Of course, Bobble."

The two of them flew in the opposite direction of Pixie Hollow. Phineas was fascinated by the night. There were flowers in bloom that he hadn't seen yesterday that seemed to glow in the light of the moon. There were animals that had been asleep in the day that were awake now.

"What's that?" Clank pointed.

Phineas looked in the direction Clank pointed and saw something shining in the distance. "Let's go see."

Clank followed Phineas, feeling worn out. They the sound of waves as they got closer to the shining object and soon found themselves on the beach.

"Wow…" they said in unison as they landed. The sand was covered in the most unusual objects they had ever seen. Phineas picked up something like a mirror that had been catching the moonlight. This must have been what led them here. In the reflection he saw Clank pick up something small and round.

"What is all this stuff?" Clank asked, turning the object over in his hands.

"I'm not sure." Phineas replied, setting down the mirror and picking up a pointy object. "I've never seen anything like this before."

They started gathering up as many objects as they could find and began examining them.

"Do you suppose Fairy Mary knows about this stuff?" Clank asked.

"Probably not." Phineas replied. "Otherwise we'd have some of these things in the workshop." He started taking apart a ticking thing. They fiddled with everything they could find, fascinated by the strange objects. After a long time, Phineas let out a yawn.

"I suppose we've been out long enough…" he said. "Should we head back, Clank?" he turned and looked at his friend. "Oh no…" Clank was lying in the sand, asleep. "Clank, wake up."

Clank grunted and rolled over, staying asleep. Phineas shook him but it did no good. Clank wasn't going anywhere. Phineas sighed and sat down beside him, pulling another object to him.

"I'll give you five minutes Clank. But then you really have to wake up." Phineas yawned again and started examining the object in his lap.


	6. Stress

Phineas jumped when he felt something heavy drop onto his stomach. He'd zoned out for a moment he supposed. The sun glowing overhead suggested he was wrong about that. He didn't mean to fall asleep.

"Clank…" he breathed. Was he still here too? He pulled himself up to a sitting position, the weight on his stomach shifted to his lap. Phineas gasped as the heavy thing, which he realized was Clank's arm, tightened around his waist and pulled him to Clank's chest. Yes, he was still here. He was also still asleep.

His face got hot, and the same tight feeling he had in his chest the previous morning had returned. He looked down at Clank and tried to free himself from his hold without waking him. He dug his heels into the sand and pushed against Clank's arms. Clank pulled him in tighter.

"Come on…" Phineas whimpered as his feet sunk into the sand. "Come on Clank, let go." He tried to pry Clank's arm off of him, but it was too heavy. He sighed and lay back against Clank, breathless from his efforts. "Please let go." He groaned as he dropped his arms to his sides.

Why Clank had latched onto him he didn't know. Clank probably didn't know he had done it. Phineas hoped he would wake up soon and release him. He could hear his own pulse pounding in his ears from struggling and the sun beating on his face was getting uncomfortable.

Clank took a deep breath and rolled to his back, stretching as he did so. He finally let go of Phineas who scrambled away from him as he woke up. Clank rubbed his eyes as he sat up and glanced around with confusion. His eyes landed on Phineas.

He immediately moved towards Phineas. "Are you alright?" he asked, concern written all over his face.

"I'm… I'm fine." Phineas stammered.

"You were like this yesterday." Clank said gently as he put his hand on Phineas's forehead. "I'm worried, Bobble."

Phineas swallowed. "I'm fine, I swear." He mumbled, backing away from Clank.

"Bobble, there's something wrong. I don't want this to get worse. Will you please go see a Healer?" Clank begged.

"Clank, I really don't need to. I'm okay, really." Phineas insisted.

"Please, Bobble… It would make me feel better." Clank urged.

Phineas held his breath, Clank looked so worried. "Okay." he agreed.

They went straight from the beach to the Healers. Whatever was wrong with Phineas wasn't bad enough to be brought back right away. Clank sat with him in the waiting area. He kept giving Phineas worried glances and encouraging smiles.

"Everything's going to be fine, Bobble." He assured him.

"I know, Clank." He said, feeling embarrassed. "You don't need to be worried about me."

"Bobble…" he sighed. "I know you say you're fine, and maybe you are. Maybe this is all just nothing. But I care about you and want to be sure it really is nothing. You're my best friend."

Phineas smiled and hugged his knees to his chest. He could feel the blush returning to his cheeks. He was about to say something when his name was called.

"I'll wait here for you." Clank waved as Phineas went back with the doctor.

"Okay, Mr. Kettletree, what seems to be the problem?" she asked when he sat down. Her name was Clara. Phineas remembered her from a few years ago. After Fairy Mary had found him at the Pixie dust tree after the "Bobble" incident, she insisted he see a Healer.

"I'm not actually sure there is anything wrong, Miss Clara." Phineas said.

"Well your friend out there is concerned, so let's have a look at you." Clara said and started her examination. She checked his eyes and breathing and felt his pulse. "Your heart beat is faster than usual." She commented as she wrote down her findings.

"Well, there was an incident at the beach this morning." Phineas said.

"Oh? What happened, Mr. Kettletree?"

"Well, we fell asleep there last night. Clank and I that is. And this morning he grabbed hold of me before he woke up. So I was struggling to get free. Maybe the strain from that could explain my faster heartbeat?" Phineas explained.

"I don't think so." Clara said taking note. "You should have calmed down by now. Is there anything else you can think of?"

Phineas thought about it. "Well, this happened yesterday and this morning. I've been getting a tight feeling in my chest. I'm not sure why."

"Alright." Clara nodded. "Did anything lead up to that? Anything at work?"

"I don't think so. Work has been pretty good lately. Well, the revelry preparations got to be a little strenuous but I was finished with them when this started." Phineas said.

"Well, is there anything else you can think of?" Clara asked.

Phineas chewed his thumbnail. "I did have a dream last night. I woke up from it feeling this way."

"Really?" Clara seemed interested. "What happened in your dream?"

"Well, I was at work, everything around me was broken. The other Tinkers were calling me useless. I was asking for help but nobody would help me. Then Do… one of them… told me I was a mistake." Phineas recalled.

"I see." Clara said. "Well it seems to me that you're dealing with some stress at work, Mr. Kettletree. You're going to be fine, but I want you to take it easy for a few days."

That didn't seem right. He'd dealt with stress at work for years, but never reacted like this before. In fact working seemed to help alleviate whatever this was yesterday. "What about Winter preparations?" Phineas asked.

"You can still work, Mr. Kettletree, but I don't want you to do more than you can handle." Clara said, escorting him out of the room. "Just take things slow, and come back if you're having any more problems."

Phineas sighed. "Alright. Thank you Miss Clara."

He made his way back to the waiting area to find Clank who was pacing and wringing his hands. He spotted Phineas as he came out of the examination rooms and went to him.

"So, what did she say?" Clank asked.

"She said it was just stress." Phineas said. He really didn't want to worry Clank even if he didn't believe Clara's diagnosis was correct. "She said I'll be fine."

"Oh good." Clank sighed. "So how do you get better?"

"She said I should take it easy for a few days." Phineas replied. "Come on, we'd better get back to Tinker's Nook."

As they headed back, Clank kept making suggestions on how to help Phineas relax. "I can take some of your work load if you like. I'll come to work early and set up your station for you. I'll clean up for you."

"Clank, that's really not necessary." Phineas said. "I'm …"

"There you two are!" an angry sounding Fairy Mary shouted as they entered the Nook. They both jumped in alarm. "Just _where_ have you two been?" she demanded.

"Fairy Mary! We… we were just…" Phineas fished for words.

"Save it." Fairy Mary snapped, silencing them both. "You missed the entire morning of work. No one has seen either of you since last night and now you just fly back here as though it isn't a problem! I expect better of you two. Especially you, Phineas. You should know by now how important it is to get right to work on Winter prep."

Phineas's wings drooped. "I'm sorry." He mumbled. He had never been late to work before. He suddenly felt hollow.

"Instead of standing here, you should be getting to your station." Fairy Mary ordered.

"Fairy Mary, please don't yell at him." Clank said, his voice full of worry. He put his arm protectively around Phineas's shoulders. The hollow feeling was replaced by the tight feeling that was starting to become familiar, making Phineas stiffen.

"It was my fault." Clank explained. "We went exploring last night. We were looking at these strange objects on the beach and I fell asleep."

"Strange objects? You must mean Lost Things." Fairy Mary said

"I guess so." Clank answered. "But Bobble stayed with me. I overslept, I'm sorry. Please don't be angry with him." Phineas's breath quickened as Clank defended him, and Clank took notice and turned to him giving him a look that read 'are you okay?'

Fairy Mary crossed her arms. "You shouldn't have been wasting time with that junk."

"It won't happen again." Phineas mumbled, avoiding eye contact with both her and Clank.

"What's wrong with you, Phineas?" Fairy Mary asked, the irritation in her voice faded considerably.

He wanted to say it was nothing, but Clank spoke first. "The Healer said he's been too stressed." Clank explained.

"You went to the Healer this morning?" Fairy Mary asked.

"Yeah." Clank answered for Phineas. "Something was bothering him so he went. I think he should go rest for a while."

"No." Phineas cut in. "I'm fine. I just need to work." It really did seem to help yesterday so that's what he wanted to do.

"Phineas if you're feeling overworked then you should go home for the day." Fairy Mary said firmly.

"No!" Phineas yelled, surprising her and Clank. He pulled away from Clank "I need to work!" he repeated and flew away from them to his work station. His chest ached. He clenched his jaw and ignored it, grabbing the nearest acorn and began hollowing it out.

"Well, well. Look who decided to show up."

Phineas glared silently. He really did not need to deal with Dozer right now. If stress was really the problem here, Dozer was the biggest source of it in all of Pixie Hollow.

"Did you and the big guy get lost coming home last night?" Dozer smirked. Phineas gave no response and continued hollowing the acorn. "That's really pathetic. You can finally see, and you still can't find your way around. And the big guy is too dumb to bring you home too."

"Get back to your station, Dozer." Fairy Mary ordered before Phineas could tell him off. She and Clank landed beside Phineas.

"Oh. Yes ma'am." Dozer nodded and flew off, but not without giving Phineas one more smirk.

Fairy Mary turned to Phineas. "Clank told me what's going on. He said you started having problems yesterday."

Phineas set down his tools and faced Fairy Mary. He nodded slowly, staring at his lap. This was just awful why was this happening when things had been going so well lately?

"Phineas, I understand that you want to get your work done, but if you're feeling overwhelmed, I want you to stop." Fairy Mary said. "Your health is higher priority than Tinkering, do you understand?" she tilted his face up to look at her.

"Aye, Fairy mary. I understand." He said sullenly.

"Good." She said. "One more thing, Phineas. Don't you ever yell at me again."

He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "Aye, I won't." he nodded. She pat his shoulder and flew off, leaving him and Clank alone. Phineas sighed and slumped down on his stool. He hoped this was just another dream, that he was still asleep in his bed and that he would wake up and everything would be fine again.

Clank pulled his stool over and sat beside him. "I'm sorry." He said "Are you okay?"

"You don't have to keep asking me that." Phineas said sourly. "I'm fine." He turned back to his work and just stared at it.

Clank didn't know what to say. He rubbed Phineas's back. "Just let me know if I can help you." He said then went to his table and got to work.

"I will, Clank." Phineas sighed. "I will."


	7. Phineas's Day Off

Over the next couple weeks, Phineas tried to keep from getting the stressed feeling. He took on easier tasks, he would take short breaks and managed to avoid Dozer for the most part. Yet somehow that feeling kept returning. More than once he woke up from a dream with the tight feeling in his chest, and it often came to him at work as well.

Clank did his best to calm Phineas down when it happened. He'd sit with him and speak softly. He'd rub his back, and had even finished tasks for him while he took his breaks. Clank had even taken to coming to Phineas's house every morning to see how he was doing. He was horribly concerned that these stress problems were not getting any better.

Phineas wasn't even sure what was causing all this. One minute he would be working with Clank, feeling really happy and before he knew it he felt like a nervous wreck and couldn't focus or look at anyone. He didn't know how to deal with it so he poured himself into his work when it happened. He made a lot of gadgets during those times, and while she was impressed, Fairy Mary was worried her worker was reaching some kind of breaking point.

Three weeks after the revelry, Phineas woke up, his heart pounding. He'd had another dream. This time Dozer had attacked him, and Clank protected him. Afterwards Clank turned to him and said " _We don't need any of this. Let's go somewhere we can be free._ " And they flew towards the second star.

"What's happening to me?" Phineas mumbled, holding his head in his hands. Clara said this was stress. He was doing what he could to avoid stress. Clank was doing everything in his power to keep him from getting stressed, and sometimes that made things worse. He pulled himself out of bed and started getting dressed.

He stood in the mirror and fixed his goggles over his eyes. He ran his hands over them and smiled. Clank was so kind to make them for him. "Clank…" he breathed. This problem didn't start until Clank made the goggles. He'd thought that last week and examined them to make sure they weren't made of something he was allergic to. He found nothing, so the goggles stayed. But his reactions seemed to happen more often when Clank was around. Was Clank doing something to cause this?

"No way. Clank wouldn't do this to me." Phineas said to himself. "He's my best friend. Kind, clever, and amazing." He felt his chest grow tighter. "Oh you have got to be kidding me."

There was a knock at the door. "Bobble, are you awake?" Clank called from outside.

Phineas gasped and tried to force the tightness out of his chest but it only got worse. "Aye…" he breathed. "I'm awake, Clanky."

"Can I come in?" Clank asked.

"Of course." Phineas replied.

Clank came inside. "How are you feeling today, Bobble?" he asked softly.

"I'm fine." Phineas replied a little too quickly. He turned to his kitchen area to make some tea before work.

"You don't sound fine." Clank said.

"Do you want some tea, Clank?" Phineas asked, trying to keep Clank from talking about how he was feeling.

"Bobble…"

"Is that a yes?" Phineas pulled out two cups. Clank came up behind him and put one arm around his stomach and put his other hand on his forehead. Phineas gasped "What are you doing?"

"You feel a little warm." Clank said.

Phineas's breath quickened. "Clank, please let go of me." He breathed.

"I don't think you should work today." Clank said, letting go.

"I'm okay, really." Phineas said. He handed a cup to Clank. "Never felt better."

"You're all worked up." Clank said. "You really should take it easy today."

Phineas shook his head. "I can't take it easy there's too much to be done."

Clank scowled. "Why won't you just take care of yourself?"

Phineas froze. "What are you talking about? I've been trying to make this stop but it won't go away. So I might as well learn to deal with it while I work rather than not work at all."

Clank set down his tea cup and sighed. "You're not going to listen to me, are you?" He turned and headed towards the door.

"Clank, wait."

"I need to get to the workshop." Clank said. "I'll see you there soon." He let himself out and shut the door harder than usual.

Phineas stared down at his tea, unsure what to think. He hadn't intended to anger Clank. But there really was too much to do to take the day off. He finished his tea and headed off to the workshop, leaving Clank's cup where he had set it.

When Phineas got to his station, he found Fairy Mary there with Clank who was working on making release mechanisms for the snowflake baskets. "Clank…" he started, still feeling guilty for making him angry.

"Good morning, Phineas." Fairy Mary said. She didn't have her usual up beat tone. "Don't bother setting up your station. You're taking the day off." She said.

"But…" Phineas tried to argue.

"No buts, mister. You've been getting more and more flustered over the past few weeks and you need some time to collect yourself." She said. "So take the day to yourself."

Phineas glanced past her at Clank. He looked over his shoulder with an apologetic gaze. "It really is for the best." He said.

"Phineas, it's nothing against you." Fairy Mary assured him. "I'm just concerned is all. You'll feel better if you just relax for the day, okay?"

"Okay, Fairy Mary." He said, defeated. "But what should I do?"

"Why don't you go see what Silvermist is up to?" Clank suggested.

Phineas nodded. "Alright." He started to fly away; Clank grabbed his hand.

"Try to have fun, okay? I'll see you at dinner." Clank said before letting him go.

Phineas tried to find Silvermist. She unfortunately was busy with her own talent guild, guiding rivers to the cooler seasons so it could go to winter. So he tried to find Fawn. She was bringing the animals to the border of fall and winter.

"You wanna help me Phin?" she asked.

He really wanted to. "I'd better not." He said in a defeated tone. "I'm supposed to be taking it easy today."

Fawn gave him a sympathetic smile. "Well, maybe next time, okay?"

"Sure, next time." He agreed, then flew off to find Rosetta. She and the other garden fairies were gathering up the wilted flowers from summer and breaking them apart to use for other supplies like bird's nests and to make clothes. Phineas watched for a while. It seemed like a garden fairy's version of tinkering.

"You seem bored, Sugar." Rosetta said.

"I am bored." He admitted.

"Well, if you're lookin' for somethin' relaxing to do, you should go check out the book collection." Rosetta suggested.

"That's not a bad idea." Phineas sighed. "Are you just trying to get rid of me?"

Rosetta laughed. "No, honey. I just think there's better ways you can spend the day off than watching me do… this…" She ripped a shriveled petal from the stem.

Phineas chuckled. "Good point." He said. "I'll see you later then, Rosetta."

"Hope you find something good to read!" She called after him as he flew towards the book collection.

He figured reading was as good an idea as anything. He thought reading would be a good way to keep himself entertained and might also keep his mind off of whatever was happening to him. The best part was nobody could tell him he wasn't taking it easy on his day off.

There was one other fairy at the collection, a sparrowman hidden behind a mountain of books with his nose buried in one. Phineas passed him without a word and flew up to the shelves where book worms were shelving the tomes. He looked over the titles, but nothing really caught his eye.

"Can I help you find something?" Phineas startled and spun around to see the other sparrowman behind him.

"No, thank you." Phineas said. "I'm just browsing."

"Wow." The sparrowman said, "Those goggles are amazing."

"Oh," Phineas touched the goggles. "Thank you."

"Did you make them? You must have, you're a Tinker, right?"

"Aye, I am." Phineas said. "But no, my friend actually made these." He felt his face grow slightly warmer when he remembered Clank's kindness.

"They make you look rather smart." The sparrowman said.

"I… Thank you?" Phineas turned back to the shelf.

"I'd love to have an accessory like that. Do you think you could tinker one for me?"

Phineas glanced at him. "Actually, um… what's your name?"

"Scribble." He said.

"Right, Scribble. I need this to see, so…"

"Oh, right! Of course, I'm sorry." Scribble waved it off. "So is there anything you might be interested in reading?"

"Not really." Phineas admitted. "I just sort of came here because I didn't have anything to do."

Scribble hummed a for a moment in thought. "Well, you'll never find anything if you don't know what you're looking for." He pulled a book off the shelf. "I've read every book here at least twice. So if you have any idea what you're interested in, let me know. What was your name again?"

"Phineas." He said and offered his hand. Scribble smiled and shook it.

"I remember you. You and that hefty fellow made those color sprayers for the revelry, didn't you?"

"Aye, that was us." Phineas said, going over the titles again.

"Well, Phineas, might I recommend this book?" Scribble pulled a book from the shelf titled 'Lovers Crossed' "It's a fascinating tale about warm and winter fairies. I think it's a good place to start when you don't know what you're looking for."

Phineas took the book. "Thank you, Scribble."

"No problem." Scribble nodded and took his own book back behind his stack, leaving Phineas alone to read.

Phineas sat at a table away from Scribble and opened the cover. It started with a young warm fairy floating along the border of winter and spring. She stared at the trees, curious of the world that lay just inches away from her. She heard something drop into the river between the seasons and looked to see a Sparrowman from the cold throwing stones into the water. She began to speak to him.

Phineas was intrigued. This kind of contact was forbidden, but he was curious about how these two would interact. Hours flew by as he read and the characters in his book met over and over again at the border and slowly fell in love. Phineas felt his breath quicken every time they met, every time they touched, even if it was only slightly to stay on their sides of the border. Soon he found himself in place of the cold Sparrowman as he read.

They chose to cross the border. Phineas bit his lip. This was dangerous, but he wanted to show her his world. So he found himself as the winter fairy and leading her through the woods, showing her everything he could until it became too cold for her, then would carry her back to the border, kissing her goodbye. He blushed at the thought.

The first time he crossed to the warm seasons and she began showing him her world, Phineas remembered when Clank had given him the tour of Pixie Hollow, and suddenly Clank took the warm fairy's place in the book. Phineas's breath caught in his chest as he tore his eyes from the page. He looked over to Scribble. HE was still buried in his own books.

"It's not Clank…" he mumbled to himself as he looked back down at the book, but now he couldn't picture anyone but him. He was now bringing Clank into the cold, paying close attention to how much he could handle and when they needed to turn back. It was now Clank bringing him further and further from the border and into the hotter seasons. He felt himself getting flustered again. He laid the book on the table and stepped away from it and paced a little bit.

"It's not him, it's not him, it's not him" he whispered over and over to himself as he paced.

"Phineas?" Scribble called over his stack of books. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He replied, chewing his thumbnail.

"Well, okay… let me know if you need anything." Scribble said, disappearing behind his books once more.

Phineas took a deep breath and sat back down. He was on the final chapter. The winter fairy was in Summer Glade with the warm fairy. Their fingers laced together as they drew closer. They embraced and their lips brushed together.

" _I love you." The winter fairy said._

" _I love you too_." Once again Clank replaced the warm fairy in Phineas's mind. He looked up again. This was getting ridiculous.

"Clank is not in this book." He reminded himself again and looked back down at the page.

The two began to kiss passionately. But it wasn't the warm fairy, nor was it the winter fairy. It was himself and it was Clank. Phineas quit fighting it, deciding he'd rather finish the story, despite how weird he felt. Despite the ache in his chest. He chewed his lip and kept reading.

 _He panted in the heat and floated down to the ground, no longer able to hold himself up._

 _"_ _This is too dangerous, you need to get back to winter."_

 _"_ _No," he said "I love you. I need to be with you." They kissed again as the sun beat down on them._

 _"_ _Please… you're getting so weak. You need to go back."_

 _"_ _The only thing… I need… is you…" he panted as he caressed her cheek. His vision blacked out and he collapsed._

Phineas gasped and bit his knuckle, turning to the last page of the book.

 _He woke up on the cold side of the border, an old man at his side. He heard crying and looked to where She sat in the warmth._

 _"_ _I'm sorry." She said. "I'm so sorry."_

 _The old man helped him to his feet, and he fell to his knee at a searing pain in his wing. He glanced back and found the end had broken off with a jagged edge._

Phineas took a sharp breath and his own wings fluttered.

 _"_ _We can't let this happen to anyone else." She said._

 _"_ _Yes. This stops here." He agreed. He held his hand out to her and she took it. "So… this is goodbye?"_

 _"_ _Yes." She said as tears stained her cheeks._

 _"_ _I'll always love you." He said._

 _"_ _And I'll always love you." They let go of each other for the last time and he turned to the winter woods and let the cold surround him._

Phineas pushed his goggles up and wiped the tears from his eyes as he closed the book. He got up and took it to Scribble's table and left it on the stack. He flew away without a word to him.

The sun was setting, the story was running through Phineas's head, though his mind kept replacing characters with familiar faces. His stomach growled and he realized he hadn't had anything to eat since he'd gotten up that morning. He made his way to the Baker Fairies' Café.

"Phineas!" Fawn called to him as he approached. "We thought you forgot about us."

"I kind of did." Phineas admitted. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Silvermist said. "Sorry to say, we ate without you."

"That's fine." Phineas shrugged.

"We can stay with you if you want." Rosetta suggested.

"No, no." he said. "That's fine, you don't have to wait for me."

"You sure?" Fawn asked.

"Aye, it's okay. Go ahead and go." Phineas half smiled at them.

"Clank is still inside, I think." Silvermist said. "If you wanna eat with him."

Phineas turned his head towards the café to hide the blush. "Okay. I'll do that. I'll see you three later." He headed inside before the girls could reply. He had intended to avoid Clank until he was thinking clearly again, but ran into him as soon as he was inside.

"Bobble!" he said cheerfully. "I was wondering when you'd show up!"

"I'm sorry. Time got away from me." He said.

Clank laughed. "Doesn't it always?"

Phineas couldn't help laughing too. "Aye, I suppose it does." They went and sat down at a table together and Phineas ordered. "Aren't you going to get anything?"

"No, I already ate. I was about to leave when you got here." Clank said.

"Oh, well you don't have to wait for me." Phineas said.

"I don't mind. I wanna know how your day went." Clank leaned on the table. "What did you do?"

"Well, I went and saw our friends. They were all busy, so I spent the day reading at the book collection." Phineas said.

"Really? What did you read?" Clank asked. "Anything good?"

Phineas swallowed and tried to keep calm. "I read a love story between a warm and a winter fairy. It's called 'Lovers Crossed' if you want to read it."

Clank grinned. "I might do that. Did you have any more stress attacks?" He suddenly looked slightly worried.

"No." Phineas lied.

"Oh good," Clank sighed. "I was worried about you all day."

Phineas's meal arrived and he dug in. "You don't need to be worried about me Clanky. So what did you do today?"

Clank gave him a look before answering. "Well, I made the release system for six snowflake baskets and got to help weave two of them. Some of the harnesses on the delivery pigeons were worn so I started making new ones. Tomorrow we're going to start setting up the pulley system for the Snowy Owl pick up."

"I love doing that." Phineas sighed. "I hope I can come back to work tomorrow."

Clank pat the back of his hand. "Me too… I missed you."

Phineas couldn't hide the blush this time. He smiled and pushed his empty plate aside. "I missed you too, Clanky. And I think I feel a lot better now."

"That's good." Clank said as they stood up. "I hope you're right.

They left the café and flew back to Tinker's Nook. Clank escorted Phineas home as he tended to do lately. Phineas wished him goodnight and resisted the urge to hug him.

As he got ready for bed, he thought about the book. The love those two shared was beautiful, even if it did end in heart break. He thought about Clank. Always had the best intentions and was eager to help him get better no matter what.

Phineas lay down in bed and pulled the blankets to his chest, curling up as he did so, his mind racing. His final thought before falling asleep was about Clank. He couldn't deny it. He had feelings for him.


	8. Laughter

He didn't know what to do now. Phineas came to terms that work was not what was stressing him out and that he definitely had feelings for Clank. He thought about telling Clank what he'd realized when he woke up the following day, but got choked up when he tried, which almost made Clank say he should take the day off again.

He really wanted to tell Clank, but he was afraid. He hadn't ever noticed any other couples around Pixie Hollow so he didn't know who he could talk to about this. He was so scared that Clank would laugh at him or even turn against him. He absolutely could not handle that. So he kept quiet about it.

As the weeks passed, Phineas did his best to hide how he felt about Clank. He had it down to a system. He made sure to wake up earlier to make sure he was calm as he got dressed for work, so by the time Clank showed up everything seemed normal. When he started to feel flustered at work, he would claim whatever he was working on needed a little something more and excuse himself to go find something to compliment his craft, and by the time he returned he was calm again. Clank only commented on the flustered reaction twice in a month's time, so Phineas figured he was doing a good job of concealing it.

Fairy Mary still made him take some time to himself. Usually it was just a few hours at the end of the work day once a week, and he spent that time at the book collection.

Scribble showed him a bunch of different kinds of books, filled with action, adventure, romance, and Phineas kept imagining himself and Clank in place of the characters as he read. A few times Scribble showed Phineas some books that were strictly informational, focusing on Dostology and Wingology. They were interesting for sure, but Phineas chose to stick with novels. He spent so much of his free time at the book collection that Scribble started giving him stories to take with him and he would stay up for hours reading.

At the end of one work day near the end of Fall, he and Clank were sitting in front of his house. Phineas was reading a story about a human who had captured a fairy and was keeping them from returning home after the changing of the seasons while Clank was just starting Lovers Crossed which Phineas had borrowed for him. He was so entranced with his story that he didn't realize Clank was talking to him.

"Bobble!" he said loudly, making Phineas jump.

"Sorry! What is it Clank?" Phineas asked, looking up from the pages.

"I asked what that sound was." Clank said.

"What sound? I didn't hear anything." Phineas sat up and tried to listen for any sound Clank could have been talking about.

"It sounded like laughter." Clank said.

"What?" Phineas's felt cold all of a sudden. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it sounded far away, but I'm pretty sure it was laughter."

"Oh no!" Phineas dropped his book and took off towards the Pixie Dust Tree. Confused, Clank followed. "I hope I'm not too late…" he muttered.

"Phin!" Phineas turned and saw Fawn flying up behind him. "You okay?"

"I'm running late, Fawn! I need to get to the Tree!" He exclaimed.

"Hey, hey, relax. You're okay. The winds haven't even gotten them here yet." Fawn said.

"What's going on?" Clank asked as he caught up.

"New arrival." Phineas said. "I'm supposed to be there for each one."

"How come?" Clank asked.

"Yeah, I've never really been clear on that either." Fawn said.

"Queen Clarion specifically told me to be at each arrival five years ago." Phineas said. "And I don't intend to disobey the queen." Clank and Fawn looked at each other with confusion. Phineas had told Rosetta and Silvermist about his deal with Queen Clarion the day after it happened, but Fawn and Clank never got the story.

They got to the Tree and Fawn went to sit with the other Animal Fairies while Phineas led Clank to some of the higher branches where he liked to sit. A moment later, Zag brought the new arrival to the Tree. Phineas didn't feel nearly as excited about this arrival as he had for the last four. He glanced over at Clank. He wondered if his dream had been right, if he really _was_ the one Queen Clarion was expecting for him.

Clank's face lit up with wonder and Phineas turned his attention back to the platform where a new dark-skinned fairy stood. Queen Clarion appeared and welcomed her. "With joy comes new life, and we are joyful to have you here with us. Welcome to Pixie Hollow. I trust you found your way alright." Clarion woke her wings and she took her first flight.

"She's so graceful." Clank mumbled.

Phineas gave a half-hearted laugh. "Aye, she is."

"What's wrong?" Clank whispered, hearing slight bitterness in Phineas's tone.

"What? Nothing's wrong." he said as the talent pedestals appeared. "I'll be right back." He flew forward and placed the hammer, giving the new fairy a genuine smile and a bow before returning to Clank. He had no idea why he'd gotten bitter for that brief moment, this new girl looked very sweet.

She asked Clarion what was going on. Clank watched her as she started reaching for the different talents. He put his hand on Phineas's knee to get his attention. "Do you suppose she'll be another Tinker?" he whispered.

Phineas pulled his leg away from Clank. "I doubt it." He said.

"Why's that?" Clank asked.

"Well, our last arrival was a Tinker if you recall." Phineas said. "I've never seen two of the same talent arrive in a row."

"Oh." Clank said, his face falling a little.

"I suppose it's possible." Phineas said as she started heading towards the hammer. "Just not likely."

"I hope she is." Clank said.

Phineas bit his lip as the new girl reached for the hammer. For once in his life he hoped that the new arrival wasn't a Tinker. Please, anything but a Tinker. She reached for the hammer and he and Clank both held their breath.

The hammer went dim and floated down to the pedestal. Phineas heaved a sigh of relief. He glanced at Clank, the disappointment was clear on his face, making Phineas feel cold. What was wrong with him? Shouldn't he be hoping for a new Tinker like Clank? He felt like such a jerk.

The young fairy then reached for a ball of light which began to glow brighter and brighter. "Light fairy." Clank mumbled.

Clarion stood by her and announced "Come forward, Light Fairies and welcome the newest member of your Talent Guild, Iridessa." The light Fairies flew to her and greeted her cheerfully.

"So what do we do now?" Clank asked.

"Now we go back home." Phineas shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I want to keep reading my book." He flew down and grabbed his hammer from the talent choices and put it back in his belt. He felt so embarrassed that he was so against Iridessa being a Tinker. He was glad she ended up being a Light Fairy. What if she'd been a Tinker and he'd been bitter towards her? He really needed to get his act together.

As they flew back to Tinker's Nook, Clank still looked incredibly disappointed, they landed in front of Phineas's house and Clank let out a sigh.

"Chin up, Clanky." Phineas said, patting him on the shoulder. "Not everyone can be a Tinker."

Clank sighed. "I know. I was just hoping I could show someone around Pixie Hollow like you did for me."

Phineas half smiled. "Clank, you already showed someone Pixie Hollow."

"I did? Who?" Clank asked, confused.

"Me, remember?" Phineas said "When you gave me these?" he adjusted his goggles.

Clank chuckled "Does that count? You weren't exactly new here."

"Maybe not." Phineas shrugged. "But it was my first time to really see it, so it felt new to me."

Clank laughed loudly then. "I thought we were all just kidding around. You really felt like a new sparrowman, didn't you?"

Phineas grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Aye, a little I suppose." He began chuckling and soon they were both laughing, though they weren't sure what they were specifically laughing at.

"Tell you what," Phineas said. "Next time there's a new Tinker, we'll show them Pixie Hollow together."

"Deal." Clank agreed. The sun was sinking low in the sky.

"I'd better get inside." Phineas said, backing towards his door.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Clank said

"What is it?" Phineas asked, stopping.

"What were you talking about earlier? With Queen Clarion and being at all the arrivals?" Clank asked.

"Oh." Phineas looked at the ground. "Well, I was still new here, and I didn't have many friends… none of the friends I had were Tinkers, so I felt really out of place here in Tinker's Nook,"

"You didn't have any friends here?" Clank asked sitting down. Phineas sat as well.

"Well, not really, no. I thought I had one, but she hasn't really talked to me in a long time." Phineas sighed. "So I ran away." He decided to leave out how he'd gotten stuck in a tree, everyone laughing at him and Dozer giving him the name "Bobble" Clank listened with great interest as Phineas continued.

"I didn't go very far. I still couldn't see then, you know. I hid for a long time and the sun had gone down by the time I decided to go home. I didn't know which way to go so just went to the only thing I could see in the dark."

"The Pixie Dust Tree?" Clank asked.

"Aye, Clank. The Pixie Dust Tree." Phineas confirmed. "That's where Queen Clarion found me. I told her how I felt out of place with the other Tinkers. How I felt… useless…" his voice trembled.

"You're not useless." Clank said.

"I certainly felt that I was then." Phineas said. "What good is a Tinker who can't see, after all?"

"But you can see." Clank argued.

"That's what the Queen said too." Phineas said.

"What does this have to do with you being at all the arrivals?" Clank asked.

"Well, She asked me if I had bonded with any of the other Tinkers. Like I told you, I hadn't. So she suggested that maybe there was still someone coming who I would bond with." Phineas explained. "She told me I needed to come to all the arrivals so I could meet whoever this was that might be coming for me."

Clank was quiet for a moment. "What if it's me?" he asked.

"You?" Phineas asked, his heart fluttered a little.

"Yeah, I mean, you're my best friend." Clank said. "So I'd say we've bonded."

Phineas nodded. "I'd considered that actually. And today… I didn't feel like I was waiting anymore. It really is nice having a friend to work with."

Clank smiled. "Yeah, it is nice. I hope I am the one you're looking for."

Phineas stood back up. "For now, let's just assume you are." He helped Clank to his feet. He thought maybe now he should tell Clank how he felt. His throat grew tight.

"Yeah." Clank agreed. He looked at the dark sky. "Oh, I should get home. I'll see you tomorrow, Bobble." He turned to leave.

"Clank?" Phineas choked out.

"Yeah?" Clank turned to him. Phineas clenched his fists a couple times then wrapped his arms around Clank and hugged him tightly.

"Good night, Clanky." He said quietly. Clank curled his arms around Phineas and hugged him tight.

"Good night."

* * *

 **Note - If you've been with me since the beginning, You might have noticed that I changed the rating... Chapter nine's gonna be a little... NSFW.**


	9. Warmth(nsfw)

He chickened out. He couldn't bring himself to tell Clank how he felt. He went inside and leaned against his door with a heavy sigh. "Why is this so hard?" he muttered. "I can talk to Clank about anything. Why not this?"

He went over to his table and sat down, holding his head in his hands. "You're such a coward, Phineas." He murmured. He just sat there, thinking of just a moment ago. He hugged Clank goodbye, Clank hugged him back. He should have said "Clank, I really like you." But he didn't.

"I need to stop thinking about this." He sighed. "This is just making things worse." He grabbed his book and opened to where he had left off. The garden fairy in the book was trapped in a jar, trying to open the lid from the inside. It reminded him of how he felt trapped by this feeling.

"No, stop that Phineas. You're not thinking about that." He said as he tried to keep reading. The words on the page all seemed to blur together, then Phineas seemed to find the corner by his mirror particularly interesting as he kept staring there.

 _"_ _Clank, I really like you." Phineas said._

 _"_ _Like me? Like, Romantically?" Clank asked._

 _"_ _Yes…" Phineas said. "I think about you all the time and I just want to be with you always."_

 _"_ _That's…" Clank hesitated. "That's really weird. I have to go."_

 _"_ _Clank, wait!" Phineas called after him._

 _"_ _Look, I don't feel the same way. And that actually makes me really uncomfortable. I don't think we should be friends anymore."_

Phineas blinked. His heart ached and he felt himself choking up. Would Clank have rejected him like that if he had said something? He bit his knuckle and tried to force the feeling away. Of course Clank wouldn't do that. He was so much kinder than that.

"I thought you weren't thinking about that." He said to himself again and turned back to his book. He stared at the page. The words just sat there and he didn't read them.

 _"_ _I really like you." Phineas said._

 _"_ _Romantically?" Clank asked._

 _"_ _Yes…"_

 _"_ _Wow, I'm flattered, but…" Clank sighed. "I'm sorry, I just don't feel the same way."_

 _Phineas sighed. "I didn't think you would."_

 _"_ _It's okay though." Clank said. "You're still my friend, right?"_

Could he handle being friends with Clank if he didn't return the feelings he had for him? He supposed he had to. He couldn't imagine doing anything without Clank at this point. He really was the best thing that ever happened to him whether he returned his feelings or not.

"Phineas would you quit it? There's no way that Clank feels that way about you." He snapped his book shut, figuring it was pointless to keep trying to read at this point. It was obvious he wasn't interested in the story right now.

He got up from the table and went to his bed. He kicked off his shoes and lay down, staring at the ceiling. He wasn't particularly tired, but he thought if he could fall asleep maybe he'd finally stop thinking about Clank.

 _"_ _I really like you." Phineas said_

 _"_ _I really like you too. That's why we're such great friends." Clank replied._

"Would he even understand what I meant?" Phineas sighed. He rolled to his side. "Maybe it's better that I didn't tell him. It's better if he doesn't know." He closed his eyes and tried to quiet his mind.

 _"_ _Clanky, I really like you. More than I can say." Phineas said._

 _"_ _You do?"_

 _"_ _Aye. I know it's weird, but it's true. I think about you all the time, and everything you do makes me smile."_

 _"_ _Bobble…" Clank cupped his cheek. "I really like you too." He leaned closer._

Phineas's eyes shot open. He gently touched his cheek where Clank did in his imagination. His heart beat a little faster and his cheeks started to feel warm. What if Clank did return his feelings? What would happen then?

 _"_ _I really like you too." He leaned closer and brushed his lips against Phineas's._

Phineas sat up quickly. "No! What are you doing, Phineas? You need to stop this right now!" he said to himself as he got to his feet. His face was burning worse than he'd ever felt it do so before. He went to his kitchen area and pushed his goggles to his forehead to splash some water on his face. He braced himself on the edge of the little counter top and stared at the floor.

"You shouldn't think things like that." He mumbled to himself.

 _"_ _Why not?"_ Clank's voice echoed in his head.

Phineas gasped. "Clank…" he looked around and saw no one. The question still sat in his mind. "Why not? Because you don't like me that way."

 _"_ _How do you know?"_ Clank's voice asked. _"You didn't ask how I feel. For all you know, I could be at home thinking about you."_ Phineas curled his arms around his stomach, the warmth in his face spreading to his chest.

"There's no way…" he mumbled. He closed his eyes and his imagination put Clank behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist. He shuttered and hugged himself tighter.

 _"_ _It's possible you know."_ Clank's voice sounded like it was right in his ear. _"I could like you too."_

Phineas felt a knot in his stomach tighten. "No!" he yelled and stepped away from the imaginary Clank. "No, you don't like me! That can't possibly happen!" He turned towards where he imagined Clank was standing. Of course no one was there. "Phineas, you're losing your mind." He mumbled.

 _"_ _Do you have something against being happy?"_ Clank's voice sounded like it was coming from the other side of the house. Phineas followed it.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

 _"_ _Well, you've been so worked up about your feelings for me and so afraid that I won't like you if you tell me. Now look at you. You know I'm not really here. You know I'm just in your head right now."_

"So what?" Phineas said getting closer to his living area again, his stomach twisting, his body feeling warm. Too warm.

 _"_ _So you won't even pretend that I like you too. Just for a minute."_ Clank's voice echoed.

Phineas clutched his sides as he listened to the voice in his head. "What good would that do? It's not you. Not really."

 _"_ _No, it's not. But it's not like you're ever going to tell him anyway."_ Clank's voice said, sounding more like Phineas at the end of that comment. He shook his head this was crazy, he was obviously tired if he was talking to himself. Maybe he should just go to bed.

He started heading to his bed, trying to tune out the voice. _"Would it really be so bad to just imagine the things you want from him?"_ that time it was his own voice. He didn't want to answer that. Instead he lay back down and squeezed his eyes shut. He could see himself and Clank standing next to the bed, continuing to talk to him. _"You know what you want Phineas. You think about him all the time and everything he does makes you smile."_

 _"_ _Bobble…"_ Clank's voice whispered. Phineas held himself tighter. He reached up and touched his cheek. _"I really like you too."_ He tilted his head forward, imitating the scene in his head. His lips met Clank's as he kissed him softly. He slowly slid his hand down his neck and trembled as his heart pounded harder. He clutched the collar of his shirt and breathed heavily.

"Clank…" he gasped. The warmth spread through his whole system, making him uncomfortable.

 _"_ _Are you going to let yourself be happy?"_ The voice asked.

Phineas chuckled a little. "Why not?" he breathed. "It's not like anyone can see me now." He hugged himself tight as he imagined himself holding Clank, picturing himself kissing his best friend once again. The knots in his stomach disappeared and the heat in his face and chest build up. He undid the seed buttons on his shirt and opened it up, trying desperately to cool down.

He trailed his fingers down his chest then. It tickled, but it felt nice, so he did it again, imagining Clank doing that to him. _"Do you like it when I do this?"_ Clank's voice asked.

"I like everything you do, Clanky." Phineas whispered.

 _"_ _Well what about this?"_ Phineas ran his hand back up to his chest and brushed his fingertips against his nipple. He gasped slightly at how much more sensitive it was than the rest of his chest and ran his fingers over it again. He reached his other hand up and repeated the motion for his other nipple.

"Mmmm." He squirmed at his own touch and his wings twitched against the bed. The warmth continued to grow inside him, he was unsure how to make it stop. He pinched his nipples and gasped "CLANK!" his eyes shot open. He was still alone of course. He sat up and panted. "This is too weird." He said, smiling to himself. He slid his shirt off his shoulders, and his wings fluttered slightly. He rested his hands on his knees and tried to control his breathing and calm down.

One hand wandered back to the center of his chest and slowly trailed down to his stomach. He sighed with delight at the soft touch and slid his other hand up his thigh. "Oooh…" that felt nice too. He pressed his hand down a little harder as he slid upward and raised his hips upward to push into his palm. The heat inside him starting building in the pit of his stomach. He noticed the erection forming in his pants, but was so focused on the soft touches elsewhere that he ignored it. He dragged his hand across his inner thigh while with his other hand he pinched at his nipples some more. He really enjoyed all these sensations, but enjoyed more that in his head it was Clank doing this to him.

Never before had he imagined Clank doing anything like this. He'd thought about kissing and hugging plenty, but this was an entirely new train of thought. The back of his hand brushed against his erection as he stroked his thigh again, and he gasped, falling back on the bed.

 _"_ _Did you like that?"_ Clank's voice asked.

"Ah! Aye." Phineas breathed. He pressed his palm against it and dragged it upward. "Oooh! Clank!"

 _"_ _It might feel better if…"_ Clank's voice trailed off. Phineas hooked his thumbs under his waistband and pulled his pants off, letting his erection spring free.

"Oh wow." He breathed. He'd never seen himself like this. He carefully curled his fingers around his shaft and closed his eyes. He slid his hand down slowly. "nngh!"

 _"_ _Do you like that, Bobble?"_

"Aye… please. More." Phineas started stroking himself faster, gripping the blankets on his bed with his other hand.

 _"_ _That's good. Let it feel good."_

He ran his thumb over the slick tip, with a gasp as he bucked his hips into his hand. His wings kept twitching between his back and the blankets, so he turned over so he was on his knees. He quickly pulled his goggles off and threw them on the floor and buried his face into his pillow and moaned, stroking himself hard and fast. His wings continued to flutter on their own every few seconds. He rocked his hips forward, wanting more of that beautiful friction that felt so good.

 _"_ _Bobble!"_ the voice gasped. Phineas lifted his head. Everything was blurry, but he could see Clank clearly beneath him, a smile crept to his face.

"Clanky…" he panted as he thrust into his hand harder. "Clanky, you're amazing." He wanted Clank to feel as good as he did now, even if it was just in his head. Every thrust, every moan was for him.

 _"_ _I love you."_

Phineas let out a cry as he came, closing his eyes tight. He kept moving until the feeling stopped, then sat up on his knees, breathing heavily. His wings were still fluttering on and off as he tried to catch his breath. His heart pounded, and the cool night air hugged his sweaty body, making him shiver. He pulled the top blanket off his bed and threw it in the corner before crawling into his sheets. He hugged his pillow to his chest and curled up, exhausted.

 _"_ _I love you."_ The voice echoed again and again in his head. He grinned and closed his eyes, letting sleep take him as the voice rang in his mind.


	10. Humiliation

_"_ _Bobble,"_ Phineas heard Clank's voice in the distance. His lips curled into a smile, the things he'd done returning to his mind. "Bobble!" his voice was louder.

Phineas moaned and turned over in bed. He shivered and groped around for his blanket, having kicked it off in his sleep. A large hand grabbed his shoulder and shook him slightly.

"Bobble, Wake up!" Clank's voice rang in his ears.

Phineas slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Clank standing over the side of his bed. "Clank…?" he started to smile, but it faded almost as fast as it had started. Memories of the previous night invaded his mind. Until now he had been alright with it. Blissful even. But last night he had been alone.

"Clank!" he squeaked and bolted upright. "What are you doing here?"

"You… you weren't in the workshop." Clank said. "I came to find you."

Phineas looked out the window. The sun was already shining brightly outside. He was late. This was the second time he'd been late, but this time he had no excuse. He turned his attention back to Clank who quickly glanced back up at him. Phineas looked down at himself and realized he had never gotten dressed last night.

"Oh no!" he gasped and pulled his pillow into his lap in an attempt to hide his nakedness. His face burned with humiliation. "Clank! You can't just come in here without knocking!" he shouted, refusing to look at him.

"I did knock!" Clank insisted. "You didn't answer. I thought you might already be in the workshop, but when nobody else had seen you I came back here. I knocked then too! You still didn't answer so I figured you might be sleeping. So I came inside to check."

Phineas buried his face in his hands. He didn't want to say anything. He had no clue what to say. How long had Clank been trying to wake him? He wished so hard that he had never woken up. He felt like sobbing, he was so embarrassed. This felt just as awful as the time he'd gotten tangled in that tree so many years ago. No, actually this felt worse. A thousand times worse.

He startled when Clank lay his hand on his back. "Are you okay?" he asked softly. Phineas shook his head, unable to speak. "Bobble, what's wrong?"

He felt like he'd swallowed something burning. His insides all hurt. He hugged his knees to his chest and looked away from Clank. He did his best to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. He tried to think of something to tell Clank, anything. But no words came out. What could he possibly say to explain this?

"I don't understand." Clank said softly, rubbing small circles on Phineas's back. "When I left last night, you seemed okay. Did something happen to you?"

Phineas saw flashes of his activity fly through his head and heard the echo of Clank's voice from last night in his ears. He leaned away from Clank who withdrew his hand.

"I can't tell you." Phineas choked.

"Why not?" Clank pressed "What could possibly be so terrible that you can't tell me?"

"I just…" he choked on his words and the tears rolled down his cheeks. "I can't. Clank, I just can't tell you." He sobbed.

Clank gasped and hugged Phineas. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Bobble! Please don't cry! I didn't mean to make you upset!"

Phineas only sobbed harder. "Don't call me that. Please don't call me that." He couldn't stop hearing how Clank called his name last night.

"Bobble…?"

He tensed up. He felt sick, absolutely disgusted with himself. "Stop. Please" he begged. He wanted to get away from Clank but he didn't want to move. He was so ashamed of his actions and didn't want anyone, especially Clank, to know what he had done.

Clank loosened his hold. "…Phineas?" he said softly. Phineas practically stopped breathing. His name sounded so wrong in Clank's voice. "What's wrong?"

He didn't move. He didn't speak. His wings drooped against his back. He wanted to disappear. He wished he had just gone to sleep last night. He wasn't sure he could ever be rid of this shame he felt.

Clank sat beside him, unsure what to do. He rubbed Phineas's shoulder softly. "Can you please look at me?" he asked, his voice gentle. Slowly, Phineas lifted his head. His eyes were red and puffy, and the tears were still flowing. "Please… say something. Anything. You're scaring me." Clank cupped his cheek and wiped some of the tears away. Phineas looked away and closed in tighter on himself.

"I really don't understand." Clank said. "I've never seen you get this bad… I thought you were getting better."

Phineas took a few shaky breaths "I'm sorry." He whispered.

"Shh, Look at me." Clank said, carefully turning Phineas's face to him again. "You don't need to apologize. You've done nothing wrong. You're okay… right?"

Phineas lowered his gaze again. "Right." He breathed, not believing himself. In his mind he was disgusting, dirty, shameful. He did not deserve Clank's kindness.

"Do you want to work today?" Clank asked. "If you don't feel like you can, I'll tell Fairy Mary."

Phineas stared at his knees. Tinkering always made him feel better. Would it help now too? He really just wanted to stay here and never leave again, but he knew that wouldn't go over well with Fairy Mary. "I want to work." He said, his voice hoarse.

"Okay." Clank said, removing his hand from Phineas's shoulder. "You'd better get dressed then." He took Phineas's shirt from the floor and draped it over his back. Phineas fixed his wings in the shirt and slid his arms into it. He glanced at Clank who smiled at him.

"Could you turn around, Clank?" he asked. His smile faded as he stood up and faced the other way. Phineas pulled his pants on and closed shirt, then wrapped his belt around his waist.

"Are you dressed yet?" Clank asked.

"Aye…" Phineas sighed.

Clank turned to him, holding Phineas's goggles. "You know, you don't have to be nervous around me." Clank said. Phineas froze. Clank pulled the goggles over his head and adjusted them over his eyes. "I mean, I've seen you get stressed before. And you've changed in front of me before. You just seem so worried about me seeing you worked up, and about me seeing you get dressed."

Phineas sighed. "Clank… I… I just…"

Clank handed him his dropper "I'm sorry if I did something to make you not trust me. I want to help you get through this, but it's hard when you won't talk to me. I'm sorry."

Phineas fixed the dew drops in his goggles. "It's okay, Clank. You've done nothing wrong." he mumbled. "I'm ready to go when you are."

Clank pulled him into a hug. "I'm here to listen when you're ready to tell me what's wrong." he let go of Phineas and headed out the door. Phineas still wanted to stay home, but forced himself out the door anyway and followed Clank.

The day that followed was the hardest day of Tinkering he'd ever faced.


	11. Clank's Confrontation

As the day drew to a close and suppertime arrived, Phineas claimed not to be hungry. When Clank said it was time to quit for the day, he dropped what he was doing and started cleaning up. Clank said not to worry about it and he would clean it up after dinner. Phineas said he just wanted to go home and go to sleep. He was gone before Clank could ask if he wanted him to come with him.

The entire work day he had just been a mess. He could barely focus and any time Clank had tried to help, he shrank away from him. Every task he had started, he was unable to finish. Most of what was on his table now was unrecognizable. He probably shouldn't have come in today, but after how he'd freaked out that morning, Clank wanted him to do whatever he felt like he needed to do. He started to clean up their work stations. Fairy Mary would have a heart attack if she saw the work Phineas had done today. Thankfully she didn't have time to stop by today.

Once the stations were clean, Clank left the workshop. He was incredibly worried about Phineas. He wanted to go try and talk to him some more, but that didn't seem to help at all. So with a sigh he flew to the café to have some supper. He had absolutely no idea why Phineas wouldn't talk to him about why he was so upset this morning, and the longer the day dragged on the worse Clank felt. All he wanted to do was help him, but he didn't know how.

"Clank! Over here!" Silvermist waved to him when he arrived at the restaurant. Rosetta, Fawn and the new girl, Iridessa were all with her. Clank half smiled and went to join them

"You're by tourself?" Rosetta asked, surprised.

"Yeah, Phineas wasn't hungry." He said, sitting between Silvermist and Iridessa. He turned to the light fairy. "Hello, Miss Dessa. I'm Clank."

"Nice to meet you Clank," she said with a smile. "So what's your talent?"

"Me?" he said. "I'm a Tinker."

"Wow, what does a Tinker do?" she asked.

"Well, we craft all the supplies you see around Pixie Hollow. I think we may have built this café… I'm not entirely sure though. I'm fairly new meself."

"That's amazing!" Iridessa said.

"Oh, that's nothing really. You should see the things Phineas and I make together." He waved nonchalantly. "We've made some pretty incredible thing together."

"He did it again." Sil whispered to Fawn and Rosetta.

Clank looked at the other three girls. "Is something wrong?"

"I was about to ask you that." Fawn said.

"What do you mean?" Clank asked.

"You never call him Phineas." Rosetta said. "You always call him Bobble. And you're the only one who can say it without makin' him mad."

"Oh." Clank dropped his gaze to the table.

"What's going on?" Iridessa asked.

"It's nothing." Clank said, giving her a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Don't worry about it."

"Clank…" Silvermist said gently. He turned to her. "What's wrong?"

He wrung his hands together for a moment before looking back at the girls. "Am I a bad friend?" he asked.

"What?" Rosetta was shocked. They all were. "No of course not, sweet heart! What makes you say that?"

"Well…" he said "It's just… his stress problems are getting worse. I should be able to fix them right? I should be able to fix anything. But I can't."

"Clank…" Rosetta said. "Fixin' a person's a lot harder than fixin' a busted wagon wheel. This ain't tinkering. People are too complex to just fix quickly."

"Besides, I thought you said he was getting better." Fawn pointed out.

"I thought he was!" Clank said.

"Well, what happened now?" Sil asked.

"I… I'm not actually sure." Clank shrugged. "After Miss Dessa's arrival yesterday he seemed fine. He hugged me goodnight and that was it. But this morning..." Clank trailed off.

"Go on, Clank. You can tell us." Fawn said.

"Well, he overslept this morning." Clank continued. "And when I woke him up, he took one look at me and got all panicked and upset. I don't know what I did. I tried to get him to talk to me, but he wouldn't say. All I managed to get out of him was 'Don't call me Bobble.' I just don't understand what's going on with him."

"That boy's been actin' so strange lately. With all the panic attacks and now this?" Rosetta threw her hands up.

Fawn frowned. "Something must have happened to him that he's not telling us."

"But I'm almost always with him." Clank said. "I didn't see anything happen to him that might've started this."

"I'm lost." Iridessa said. "What's going on? Who are you talking about?"

"It's a long story," Silvermist said.

"Phineas is another Tinker. He's my best friend." Clank said, then stared at the table. "My best friend who doesn't trust me enough to tell me what's wrong."

"Clank…" Silvermist put her hand over his.

"Why doesn't he trust me? He ought to know how much he means to me. I'd fly through fire for him. I'd let my wings get torn off if he'd somehow benefit from it. I'd even give up Tinkering if that would somehow make things right with him again."

"Your talent?" Iridessa gasped.

"But, Clank! You love tinkering!" Fawn said.

"Phineas is more important." He said.

"Slow down there, Clank." Rosetta cut in. "No one is askin' you to give up Tinkering. Phineas is probably just goin' through a rough patch. I'm sure he'll talk to us about it eventually."

"Eventually isn't fast enough." Clank said sadly. "I want him better now. I miss my friend. I miss his smile, I miss talking to him. I feel like I'm losing him."

"It'd be better if you just ditched him." someone said at the table behind Clank.

He turned around. "Dozer…" he glared at him. "I didn't ask your opinion."

"Whatever." Dozer shrugged, leaning against his table. "I'm just saying, you're a lot better off without him."

"He's my best friend." Clank said, starting to feel irritated.

"Oh yeah? You really think Bobble's your best friend? Poor choice."

"Don't call him that." Clank scowled. "Only I can call him that."

"Oh really? Can you? Because I'm pretty sure I heard you say that your so called best friend doesn't want you calling him that." Dozer jeered.

"Leave us alone, Dozer." Rosetta said sternly.

"Fine. I just thought Clanky here would like to know that his 'best friend' doesn't like him the way he thinks." Dozer shrugged.

"Oh really? How do you figure?" Clank demanded.

"He only likes you because you're new." Dozer said. "He had to latch onto you because you didn't see him how the rest of us do. A blind little fool who can't do anything right. Someone so desperate for anyone in the guild to think he was any good that he latched onto the first Tinker to show up that didn't know how pathetic he is. And that, unfortunately was you."

"Stop that." Clank hissed.

"You're better than he is, Clank." Dozer continued. "Think about it. He couldn't even figure out how to make a hands free seeing thing like you did. He's jealous of your talent so he's making up all these problems so you'll feel sorry for him. You don't need him. I know it. He knows it, and I'm sure you know it too."

"None of that is true!" Fawn shouted.

"Don't listen to him, Clank!" Silvermist chimed in.

Clank stood and angrily looked Dozer in the eye. "Listen here, you roach." He said, his voice low and full of fury. "You say I'm better than he is? I'm not. I'm no better than him or any other Tinker, except maybe you. Phineas Kettletree taught me everything I know, and I wouldn't be as good as you say without him.

"You say he's desperate too, right? I'm sure he was, because somehow you managed to steer the entire guild away from him. I've never really talked to anyone else. I don't know how they feel about him, but I know how I feel. He is my best friend. I'm never gonna turn my back on him, no matter what underhanded stunt you try to pull." Clank hissed.

The two Tinkers glared at each other as an uncomfortable silence fell throughout the entire dining area. Every eye was on them in that moment. A baker cleared her throat nearby. "Can… I get you anything?" she asked.

"No, thank you." Clank replied calmly, not breaking eye contact with Dozer. "I'm afraid I've lost my appetite." He pushed past Dozer without a word to him or the girls and left the café.

He flew back to Tinker's Nook and landed in front of Phineas's house. After all that, the only person he wanted to see was Phineas, no matter how upset or worked up he was. He knocked on the door and waited. There was no answer.

"Phineas? It's me, Clank." he called inside. "Are you awake? Your light is still on." There was no reply.

Clank sighed and leaned his head on the door frame. "Look, I know you probably don't want to see me right now. I still don't know why. But I need to talk to you." More silence. "Please…? It's important."

There was a shuffling inside and the door opened. Phineas peered around the door, still looking very sullen. "What's wrong, Clank?" he asked.

"Nothing." Clank said. "Not with me anyway." He pushed the door open further and stepped closer to Phineas.

"What do you mean?" Phineas asked, not even looking at him.

Clank wrapped his arms around him. "I know you're going through something. I have no idea what it is, but it must be awful if it's upsetting you this much. But you don't have to deal with it alone. I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you, whenever you need me."

Phineas looked up at Clank. "What brought this on?"

"It doesn't matter." Clank said. "What does is that you know I'm here for you. We all are. Sil, Ro, Fawn, Dess and me."

Phineas frowned. "Dess?"

"Iridessa. She was at dinner tonight."

"Oh." Phineas sighed. He leaned his head on Clank's shoulder. He didn't have a response for him. He closed his eyes and tried to let himself enjoy being held by Clank. He could say something now. He should say something now. _Clank, I really like you. Even when I'm upset you're the best thing that ever happened to me._ He wanted to say it. He wanted to so bad, no sound came out of him.

"If you ever need anything from me, just tell me. You're my best friend. I care about you more than anything." Clank said, hugging him tighter. Phineas, truly lost for words, squeezed Clank. He felt a strange mix of emotions inside himself.

"Thank you." Phineas breathed.


	12. What Tinkers Do

It wasn't long after that all the work for Winter had been completed and the time came to prepare for Spring. It was the busiest time for Tinker's Nook. There were more crafts needed for Spring than the other three seasons. Clank had been looking forward for spring preparations for a while now, since Phineas had told him it was his favorite. His hope was that preparing for Spring would finally snap him out of whatever funk he had been in for the past few months.

Unfortunately, it didn't help. Spring was just a little more than a month away, and Phineas didn't seem to be cheering up at all. He would smile, and he would laugh with everyone. He got to meet Irridessa and said she was just a delight. But Clank could still see that he was putting on an act most of the time. The look in his eyes gave him away. He was still upset.

It had been nearly two months since Clank found him in such a disgraceful fashion before work. Phineas still thought about it. He thought about it a lot. More times than he cared to admit he'd imagined himself with Clank doing all the things he did that night, but he never touched himself again. He wouldn't allow himself to. He didn't want to risk Clank seeing him like that again.

Apart from that, Phineas really tried to perk up and be cheerful around his friends. He felt absolutely awful for making them all worry so much about him, especially since he knew what was wrong now. He wanted to talk to somebody about it, but could never bring himself to say anything. Who would understand? As far as he'd seen, none of them had experienced the feelings he had. So he kept it to himself.

One day, about five weeks before the Everblossom would bloom, Phineas was having a pretty good morning. He felt like he had a good handle on his emotions and felt like he was pretty content with how things were going at work. He and Clank had finished making a large order of Spring crafts the day before and were loading them into the wagon to take to the Nature talents. They worked quickly and efficiently and were soon loaded up and ready to head out to Spring Time Square.

"Hope the Thistles don't scare you this time, Bobble." Dozer shouted to them as they were leaving, in his usual sarcastic tone.

Phineas rolled his eyes and ignored him, urging the mouse to continue forward. Once they had reached Needlepoint Meadow, Clank spoke up.

"What was Dozer talking about?" he asked. "What thistles?"

Phineas curiously glanced at Clank. "Oh, that's right." He said, turning his attention back to the path. "You haven't had the… pleasure… of dealing with Sprinting Thistles before."

"What are Sprinting Thistles?" Clank asked.

"They're a kind of weed that resides here in this meadow. They chase fairies around and have sharp pointed needles that tend to poke and scratch things up. Not a pleasant thing to deal with." Phineas explained.

"So you've dealt with them before?" Clank asked.

"Aye, a few years ago." Phineas nodded. "It was on my first and only delivery with Dozer. The Thistles attacked us and our wagon. We weren't hurt, but our wagon was lost. I think Dozer blames me for what happened."

"That seems unfair." Clank said. "It's not like you asked for them to chase you around."

"Aye, Clank. That's true. Though I did disregard Dozer's orders to fly away from the thistles and got a little scraped up. Not bad enough to worry about though." Phineas explained, rubbing his shoulder where he had been scraped years ago. He hadn't thought about the incident in a while, but it still made him feel as sour as he did when the memory was fresh.

"Why didn't you listen to him?" Clank asked.

"Well, it just didn't seem fair." Phineas sighed. "That Dozer and I could fly away, while the mouse was still tied to the wagon and couldn't get away."

"Was the mouse okay?"

Phineas smiled slightly "He seems okay to me." He said, nodding to the mouse pulling their cart.

"Wait, that's the same one?" Clank asked, astounded.

"Aye. He's the same one." Phineas said, feeling a small amount of pride swell in his chest. "I had to break part of the wagon to free him."

"You saved him." Clank said with a grin.

"More or less, I suppose." Phineas shrugged as they exited the meadow and guided the mouse down to the Square where the Nature Talents were hard at work. He climbed into the back of the wagon and began unloading, handing supplies to Clank.

"Did Dozer help at all?" Clank asked.

Phineas paused and thought about it. A frown spread on his face. "No, he yelled at me for what I did. I think he was more concerned for his own safety." He sighed. "Funny thing is, he had warned me before the attack happened, and to fly away if he told me to. I thought… I thought maybe he might actually care about me then. But ever since that day he's been nothing but rotten to me."

"He's a bit of a roach." Clank said.

"Clank!" Phineas exclaimed. "I don't think I've ever heard you say something that mean."

"Do you disagree?" Clank asked, seriously.

Phineas hesitated. "Well, no I suppose not. I just never expected you to say something like that."

Clank shrugged, watching the Nature Talents gather and take what they needed from their wagon. "I've called him that before."

"Oh really, when?" Phineas asked.

"A couple months ago." Clank said. "It was the same day I had to wake you up for work."

Phineas froze. He didn't like remembering that when he was supposed to be working. "Oh…?"

"Yeah, we got into an argument about you at dinner. I called him a roach and left." Clank said. He grinned a little feeling proud he defended his friend.

 _Arguing about me?_ Phineas thought. _Why would they be doing that?_

"Are you alright?" Clank asked, noticing that Phineas suddenly got quiet.

"Aye, I'm alright. Sorry." He answered. The girls showed up then. Perfect timing.

"Hey guys!" Fawn said as the crowds cleared. "Working hard as always I see."

"Hello ladies" Phineas greeted.

"We've saved back our best crafts for all of you." Clank grinned.

"Aw, you shouldn't have." Rosetta smiled.

"Oh! This is so exciting!" Iridessa squealed as she picked up a rainbow tube.

"First time changing the seasons, Miss Dessa?" Phineas asked.

"Yeah! I can't wait to put my light talents to good use!" she said. "I'm really looking forward to seeing the mainland!"

Clank smiled. Her excitement reminded him of how happy Phineas had gotten before the revelry. He wished he could make Phineas smile like that again. He thought a moment. What was Iridessa excited about seeing?

"We can't wait to show it to you." Silvermist said. The girls all looked so excited, and Phineas gave a slight chuckle.

Clank glanced around his group of friends, confused. "What's the mainland?" he asked.

Everyone turned to Clank then. "You've never heard of it?" Rosetta asked. Clank shook his head.

"Phin!" Fawn turned to him. "Why haven't you told him?"

"I didn't think of it." Phineas shrugged with a guilty look. It was true. It had never come up, so he never remembered to tell Clank.

"You mean to us he's been here six months and no one's told him about the mainland?" Sil exclaimed.

"You could tell me now." Clank suggested, a little impatient.

"Oh! Right! Of course," Silvermist turned back to Clank. "The mainland is where we all go to change the seasons."

"And this is the best time of year." Rosetta sighed, "Everything's startin' to bloom and there's new life everywhere."

"I get to greet all the critters when they wake up from hibernation" Fawn chimed in.

"Clank, didn't you notice when we'd all left to bring Autumn to the mainland after the revelry?" Silvermist asked.

"No, I didn't" Clank admitted. "That was when Phineas started getting stress problems, so I guess I was more worried about that."

Phineas turned to the wagon and pretended to redo the hitch on the mouse. Clank just had to bring that up. He tried to keep from blushing but could still feel the burn on his face.

"I'm really looking forward to going!" Iridessa said. "I can't wait to see how Light Fairies make Spring happen."

Clank turned around. "Hey, Phineas, what do we do on the mainland?"

Everyone fell silent. Phineas stopped what he was doing and stared into the distance. He knew that question would come up. He hoped it wouldn't but knew it would. He let out a sigh. "Nothing" he said finally.

"Nothing?" Clank repeated, his excited tone gone.

"That's right." Phineas said as he climbed back into the wagon. He looked down at Clank with seriousness. "Tinker fairies don't get to go to the mainland. We stay here and begin work on the next season to come." He remembered the day he'd been told that and how furious Fairy Mary had been that day. He looked away from everyone again. Clank turned to the girls with a shattered look on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Clank." Iridessa said quietly.

"The mainland isn't that great anyway." Fawn said.

Clank looked back at Phineas. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. Clank grinned after he thought a moment. "You know, it's alright. I don't need to go."

"What?" The girls all said. Phineas looked to Clank as he turned back to the girls.

"Yeah, I got everything I need here. I've got my job and my best friend who I get to work with every day." Clank smiled. "I don't need the mainland so long as I have that, right, Phineas?"

Phineas's breath caught in his throat. Clank sounded like he really meant that. He searched his face for any sign that he was lying or that he was disappointed and found none.

"That's right, Clank." He said, smiling back slightly.

"Well, ladies." Clank said, sitting beside Phineas. "It's been lovely, but we've got work to do."

"See you later boys!" Rosetta called after them as they rode away.

Phineas felt awkward on the ride back. On the one hand, a lot of bad memories had been stirred up that he really didn't want to think about, but on the other hand he was so happy that Clank genuinely didn't care about the mainland and that he was the reason why.

Clank cleared his throat about half way back making Phineas turn to him. "You'd really like to go to the mainland, wouldn't you?" Clank asked.

Phineas sighed. "I used to. I haven't really thought about it in a long time. The first time I'd heard of it ended up leading to the second most humiliating moment of my life." He explained.

"What happened?" Clank asked.

"It was a long time ago, Clank. It doesn't matter anymore."

"Of course it does." Clank insisted. "It obviously still bothers you, so you should tell me about it. Maybe I can help."

Phineas sighed and stared at his lap. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Phineas," Clank said carefully. "I don't understand. Why do you keep shutting me out? I just want to make you happy and see you smile again. Please talk to me."

Phineas stayed silent.

"Do you have something against being happy?" Clank asked. Phineas instantly looked at him. He'd heard Clank say that in his head.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You keep hiding stuff from me when you know you can tell me anything." Clank said as they got closer to Tinker's Nook.

Phineas tried to say something. _Tell him!_ he thought _Come on, Phineas just tell him!_ He handed the reins to Clank "I need to be alone." He mumbled and flew off the cart.

"Phineas! Wait, come back!" Clank called after him. He didn't turn around and hoped Clank wouldn't follow. He just wanted to get away.

 _You coward._


	13. Break

Phineas landed in a clearing on the border of Spring and Summer. He wasn't far from Tinker's Nook, but hoped he was far enough away that Clank wouldn't find him. He didn't notice anyone else was around, so he allowed himself to react to his emotions.

He sat down on a stone and held himself tight, letting out shaky breaths as his eyes watered. He was so angry with himself. Why couldn't he just say something? Clank assured him over and over he could tell him anything. Why not this? What was he so scared of? Since the day Clank arrived he was always loyal to Phineas so he shouldn't be afraid that Clank would abandon him if he knew his secret. But clearly, he was, and the longer this went on, the worse he felt.

He thought he'd been getting a better handle on his feelings but with all the negativity from his first spring being brought up, it all blew up again. Rosetta told him he should let go of what happened to him and that he would feel better. He had tried to, but clearly part of him still held onto that day and he hated himself for it.

"What are you doing out here, Bobble?" Phineas looked up to see Dozer with his ever present scowl. He glared as Phineas got back up.

"It's none of your business." Phineas said shakily.

"Did you come out here to cry?" Dozer jeered.

"No! I… no…" Phineas stammered.

"Clank showed up at the workshop alone. Good to know at least one of you takes tinkering seriously. I shouldn't be surprised to find you out here wasting time." Dozer growled. "I bet you won't even get in trouble for it."

"Just leave me alone, Dozer." Phineas held himself tighter and turned away.

Dozer grabbed the back of his shirt and spun Phineas around to face him again. "Get back to Tinker's Nook right now." He said darkly. "and get back to work."

"I will!" Phineas said, trying to back up, but Dozer held onto his shirt. "I… I just need a minute!"

"You don't have a minute." Dozer shoved him.

Phineas shrank back. "What is your problem with me? What did I ever do to you?"

"You really want to know?" Dozer towered over him. "I don't like how you think you're some great tinker. You think you're better than everyone when we've been cleaning up after you since you got here."

"I… I don't think that." Phineas whimpered.

"And on top of that, you pretend to work hard when really you're just lazy." Dozer spat. "I know you've been faking all this stress nonsense since the revelry to make Clank work for you. Though admittedly, he does a better job than you do on the days you actually DO work."

"It's not like that…" Phineas tried to fight back but couldn't bring himself to.

"You are the laziest, most useless tinker… no, most useless person in all of Pixie Hollow. How you managed to get on Fairy Mary's good side, I'll never understand." Dozer spat.

"You're wrong!" Phineas managed to choke out. "I don't think I'm better than anyone! And I don't ask for special treatment! I don't want it! If the other workers have really been cleaning up after me then they should tell me so I can fix my own problems."

"Like you would even try to fix them. You'd just fake another anxiety problem and leave Clank to do the work instead." Dozer rolled his eyes.

"The anxiety is real!" Phineas insisted. "And Tinkering is the only thing I've found that helps! I only take breaks because Fairy Mary makes me. If I were allowed I'd keep working until my hands went numb. But Fairy Mary... she… she's worried about me. And… Cl-Clank is trying to help me get better. If I could just turn all this off and be normal again I would. But I can't!"

Just then there was a loud screech from overhead. Phineas looked up and spotted a low-flying hawk.

"You want to turn it off? Fine! I'll do it for you!" Dozer shouted and shoved Phineas backwards. He fell to the ground and struck his head on the stone he'd been sitting on. The water drops in his goggles burst and his vision completely blacked out.

"Dozer!" He screamed, but there was no reply. He heard the hawk screech again, closer this time. He scrambled to his feet and groped around for Dozer. "Come back! Dozer come back! Please!" He couldn't see. He couldn't find Dozer. Another screech, even louder than the last. The hawk was coming for him. He didn't know where to run.

"Help me!" he cried. "Please!" He tried to run. He could hear the hawk getting closer. This was it. He was going to die, and there was nothing he could do to save himself. _Clank, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I never told you._

"Bobble!" Phineas turned to the voice and was suddenly grabbed off the ground. He could hear the flap of the hawk's wings right beside him and another cry from the hawk right in his ear. He let out a scream of terror as he was pulled away. Whoever grabbed him was rising higher into the air.

The hawk was giving chase, he could feel it. The bird let out another loud shriek as it swooped over them. Phineas's rescuer screamed and they dropped out of the air. He put out his arm to catch himself and hit the ground hard. There was a sickening crack as horrific pain shot through his right arm. He would have screamed if a large hand hadn't suddenly covered his mouth. He tried to shout, but was muffled. He blinked and tried to clear his vision.

"It's okay, Bobble." That was definitely Clank's voice. He sounded just as terrified as Phineas felt. The blackness started to fade and he could see Clank on top of him, shielding him with his own body. He could hear someone… several someones fighting off the hawk.

"It's okay." Clank repeated. "I've got you. The scouts are here and I've got you." Phineas tried to move off of his arm. The pain shooting through it was unbearable he whimpered and his eyes welled up with tears as he was about to scream again.

"Please try not to scream." Clank begged. "Please… hold it in 'til the hawk's gone."

Phineas tried to focus on the sound of the scouts. He tried to focus on Clank. He tried to focus on anything but his arm and kept choking down the urge to scream in agony. All the while Clank kept whispering to him, his voice shaking. "It's okay. I'll keep you safe. I'll protect you. I've got you Bobble."

It felt like hours before the sounds of the hawk disappeared, though it had only been a few minutes. Clank took his hand away and Phineas was screaming before Clank could get off of him. He rolled to his side and held his arm, feeling that it was bent out of shape. He sobbed as he curled into himself, the pulsing pain refusing to fade.

Clank carefully lifted Phineas off the ground and held him to his chest. He was breathing heavily and trembling slightly. "Are you two alright?" one of the scouts asked.

"I'm alright." Clank said. "He's hurt. His arm… I think it's…"

"Get him to the healer." She said.

"Okay." Clank nodded. "Can you find Fairy Mary and tell her what happened?"

"Of course." The scout replied. "Now go."

Phineas was whimpering the whole way to the healer's. Clank carried him the whole way without a word. When they arrived, Phineas was immediately brought back, leaving Clank behind in the waiting area. He wished Clank had come back with him.

They told him his arm was broken. He already knew that. "Just fix it!" He cried. "It hurts… it hurts…"

"Mr. Kettletree, we need to set the bones in your arm." The healer said. "We'll be careful, but this is probably going to hurt more."

Phineas clenched his teeth. "Just do it. Please."

Two healers pulled on his arm to set the bones. Phineas let out a blood chilling scream and tried to pull away. "That's only going to make it worse!" one of the healers scolded.

"Sorry!" Phineas cried. "I'm sorry!" he squeezed his eyes shut as the healers tried again. He gripped the edge of his seat as they pulled. He thought about Clank and how he'd protected him. He'd made him feel so safe even with the pain coursing through him. He was so sure he was going to die, but Clank saved him. Clank… saved his life…

The healers splinted his arm and put a sling on him. "There we go, Mr. Kettletree. Try not to use that arm for the next six weeks and it should be fine."

Phineas nodded, panting. "What about Spring prep?"

"Well, they'll have to manage without you." She said. "is there anything else, or was it just your arm?"

"I… hit my head and my sight blacked out." Phineas said.

"Let's have a look then." She said, pulling his goggles off his head and setting them aside. She checked where he had hit his head. There was a large bump, but she said that would go away in a day or so. She checked his vision. It hadn't fully come back yet.

"And I thought my vision was bad before." He sighed.

"You're going to be fine, Mr. Kettletree." She said as she checked his eyes. "Your vision should return to normal by the end of the day. I want you to take it easy for the rest of the day though. If you have any headaches or other problems come back and see me. But for now what you need is rest."

Phineas sighed and looked down at his arm. "I doubt rest will be a problem. I don't think I can work with this."

The healer fixed his goggles back over his eyes, he tilted his head back and replaced the dew drops. "You'll be back to work before you know it, Mr. Kettletree." She said, escorting him back to the waiting area. "Just be careful and don't aggravate your injuries."

Phineas nodded. "I'll do my best." He turned to the waiting area and was nearly knocked off his feet with a hug.

"Phin!" Fawn cried. "You're okay!" he was soon surrounded by the other three girls.

"We came as soon as we heard" Silvermist said, hugging Phineas when Fawn let go.

"What happened, sugar?" Rosetta asked.

"Well," Phineas sighed "There was a hawk… and it attacked me… I couldn't see I … I fell and hit my head." He thought about mentioning Dozer, but thought if he ratted him out he'd only make things worse for him than they already were.

"Oh man…" Fawn hugged him again. "I'm so sorry. Are you gonna be alright?"

"I'll be fine." Phineas said, hugging Fawn back. "Where's Clank?"

"I haven't seen him." Sil replied.

"The healers are looking at him right now." Iridessa said. "That's what Fairy Mary said."

"Fairy Mary? Is she here?" Phineas asked.

"Yeah." Dess nodded. "she went back to check on Clank I think. She didn't come see you?"

Phineas shook his head. "No, she didn't."

"There you are, Phineas." Right on cue, Fairy Mary came up behind him. He turned to her and she put her hands on his shoulders and quickly looked him over. "Are you alright? Fury told me you two were here."

Phineas frowned. "I'll be alright, but I can't work for a while."

"That's understandable." Fairy Mary said, gently examining his arm. "Take as much time as you need to heal. I'll see if I can find something for you to do that you won't have to use your arm."

"Thank you, Fairy Mary." Phineas sighed. "How's Clank?"

"He's alright." Fairy Mary replied. "The healers just wanted to make sure he was okay before he went home."

A moment later, Clank emerged from the examination rooms. He looked incredibly frazzled. Before he could say anything, the girls surrounded him, hugging him, asking if he was alright. He winced and stepped back from them when they let go. "I'm fine." He said quietly.

Phineas went to him when the girls cleared away. Clank's eyes went right to his arm. "I'm so sorry." He whispered.

Phineas glanced down at his arm and back at Clank. "It's fine, Clank. It's not your fault."

Clank looked away.

"We'd best be heading back, boys." Fairy Mary said. "You both need to take the rest of the day to recover."

"Aye," Phineas agreed, watching Clank. He looked so anguished as he plodded after Fairy Mary.

"We'll see you later guys." Fawn called after them "I'll come check on you later!"

The two of them walked behind Fairy Mary as they headed back to Tinker's Nook. None of them spoke and Clank kept eyeing Phineas's arm with guilt written all over him.

"Hey Clank?" Phineas finally spoke up.

"Yes, Phineas?" Clank replied. Phineas had expected him to say "Bobble" but didn't mention it.

"Thank you." Phineas said. "For saving me."

Clank sighed and smiled weakly. "You're welcome."

 _Now! Do it now!_ Phineas thought. He glanced at Fairy Mary. _Wait until she's gone and tell him!_ He would actually do it this time. He needed to. After what had happened he couldn't risk something else happening and never telling Clank.

"We have the rest of the day." Phineas said. "What do you want to do?"

"I'm just going to go to bed." Clank said. His tone sounded… empty.

"Oh." Phineas sighed as they got back to the workshop. "Well, I…"

"Phineas," Fairy Mary stole his attention. "I think I might have an idea of what you can do while you recover. Meet me by the loading dock tomorrow morning and we'll talk about it."

"Aye, Fairy Mary." He said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Fairy Mary nodded and flew off to the other workers. Phineas swallowed. "Clank, I really" he turned around but Clank was gone.


	14. Trying to Stay Positive

Phineas accidentally woke himself up the next morning by rolling onto his broken arm. "OW!" he shouted as he sat up in bed. "Oh, ouch. This is going to take some getting used to." He rubbed his arm and got out of bed. He'd spent last night at home. He did some reading and tidied up a little bit. Fawn stopped by with supper, which he was grateful for. But he didn't see Clank again after he'd disappeared. He'd gone to his house, but it was all dark inside and Phineas figured if Clank was inside he must have been asleep and it was best not to disturb him.

He got his clothes out for the day and started to get dressed, which was a slower process than usual. Perhaps Clank could help him when he showed up. He'd gotten his shirt draped over his back when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" he called, easing his arm through his sleeve.

The door opened. "Good morning, Phineas!" a female voice greeted him. He turned around. That voice didn't belong to any of his friends nor did it belong to Fairy Mary.

"Lucinda?" he said.

"Hi." She greeted.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. She didn't really talk to him very much anymore. Not since the Bobble incident.

"Fairy Mary sent me." She said. "just in case you needed any help this morning."

"Oh. Well, thank you." He said, fidgeting with the buttons on his shirt.

"Here, let me." Lucinda said, reaching over and buttoning his shirt. "I'm really sorry you got hurt, Phineas."

"It's okay." Phineas sighed. "Things happen."

"Well, then I guess you get to be the lazy one for once," she said with a grin.

Phineas half-smiled and pulled his sling on while Lucinda picked up his goggles. "I'm sure Dozer will be pleased about that." He said bitterly.

"Yeah…" Lucinda sounded just as sour. "Don't worry about him. He's just"

"A sour grape, I know." Phineas said as he grabbed his tool belt.

Lucinda pulled the goggles over his head. "I was gonna say a roach… I think those are crooked." She said stepping back.

"It' okay." Phineas was able to straighten them with one hand. He remembered how Clank had called Dozer a roach yesterday. "Hey, did you see Clank on your way here?"

"Yeah, I saw him going somewhere. Dunno where he was headed though." Lucinda said, helping him with his belt.

"Did he seem okay?" Phineas asked.

"He seemed fine to me." She said. "You got everything? Fairy Mary's waiting for you."

"I think so." Phineas said.

"Great! Let's go."

They headed down to the workshop. Lucinda seemed more eager to work than usual. Fairy Mary would probably be overjoyed by that. They parted ways as Phineas headed to the loading area where Fairy Mary asked him to meet her yesterday. There she was going over her list of supplies.

"Good morning, Fairy Mary." Phineas greeted her.

"Phineas, Good morning. How's the arm?" she asked.

"Still broken. Still hurts." He said with a slight grin.

"Of course." She said, smirking. "Well since you are unable to do your normal tinkering I've decided to put you in charge of deliveries. I've made today's list, but that will be your responsibility from now on. You make sure everyone is on schedule."

"I assume this is on top of my own deliveries?" Phineas asked.

Fairy Mary nodded "If you think you can handle it."

"I can handle it." Phineas assured her.

"Good." She said. "Now, Phineas. I don't want you to do any heavy lifting. Get someone else do that. And when you go on your rout let the nature talents unload for you. You do not need to strain your arm."

"Got it." Phineas agreed. Fairy Mary handed him her list and he began to look it over. "Fairy Mary?"

"Yes dear?" she asked, filling the first wagon for him.

He didn't look up from the list. "Did you see Clank this morning?"

"Yes, Phineas, he said he needed to go get something he forgot yesterday." Fairy Mary said.

That was rather vague. "What did he forget?"

"He didn't say." Fairy Mary said. "What else does this wagon need?" she pointed to the list.

Phineas checked it. He was sure Fairy Mary already knew what was missing, but he checked anyway. "pollen pods. We need eight of them"

"Good." She said, loading them up. "Now if you think you can handle it from here I've got other matters to tend to."

Phineas spent the rest of the morning sending Tinkers off on deliveries and at about midday all the wagons were out. He decided to find Clank. He went to his work station where he found him standing on his toes trying to reach some spider thread on a high shelf. He flew up behind him and grabbed it off the shelf, startling Clank.

"Phineas…" he said, turning back to his work station. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." He said handing Clank the thread. "Are you alright?"

Clank sat at his table and began sewing together a seed bushel. "Yeah. Everything's great." He said evenly.

Phineas watched him work for a moment. Clank usually would hum while he worked but today he was quiet. "Is something wrong? You seem… out of sorts."

"Nothing's wrong." Clank said, staring at his work. "I mean, I guess I didn't sleep very well last night, but I'm fine."

"Why couldn't you sleep?" Phineas asked, concerned.

"I dunno. I just couldn't." Clank said.

"Did you have something on your mind?" Phineas asked.

"Not really, no." Clank answered.

"Oh." Phineas said. "Well, I wanted to talk to you if you have a minute."

"Can it wait?" Clank asked. "I need to make twenty of these by the end of the week, so I need to focus."

Phineas's wings drooped. "I…suppose it could wait."

"Okay." Clank said, not looking up from his work. "I'll talk to you later then."

Phineas hovered by Clank for a moment, then flew back to the loading area. Clank wasn't acting like his usual self. Maybe he was still in shock from yesterday. That would make sense. Phineas could still hear all the noise from the incident after all.

"He should talk to me about it." Phineas sighed as he waited for the wagons to return. "He'd feel better if he did.

 _Like the way you tell him about what's been bothering you?_ He thought. He grimaced and looked over Fairy Mary's list. He saw the irony of the situation, but didn't care. He wanted to find a way to make Clank feel better, and when he did, he'd tell him everything.

"It'll still be a while before they all get back." Phineas said, crossing things off the list. He was a little bored just waiting and with Clank being busy right now he didn't know what to do with himself. Looking over the list he saw one of the deliveries would be passing by the Book Collection on their way back. He still had a few of Scribble's books he needed to return, and he could catch a ride with the wagon when it passed by. He flew home, got the books, and then headed over to the Collection.

Scribble was surrounded by stacks of books when Phineas arrived. Five were open in a half circle around him while he jotted down notes to the side.

"Hello, Scribble." Phineas greeted.

"Hold on." Scribble said, scanning one of the open books. "I'm in the middle of some very fascinating research about different fauna of Neverland, and I don't" Scribble glanced up quickly and back down at the page, then jerked his head back up.

"Phineas!" he jumped over the stack of books, concern evident as he grabbed Phineas's right arm. "What happened to you?"

"OW! Ow, ow! Scribble!" Phineas pulled his arm away. "I fell and broke my arm yesterday." He said simply.

"Oh my goodness!" Scribble gasped. "How did that happen?"

"It's a long story." Phineas said. "I brought back the books you lent me. Do you mind if I pick some new ones? I'm going to be out of commission for a while."

"Fairy Mary won't let you work, hmm?" Scribble asked.

"It would be a little hard." Phineas said, raising his arm for emphasis. "She's put me in charge of deliveries for now."

"I see." Scribble said. "I imagine that will get pretty boring. Let me see if I can find something for you to keep you entertained." He flew over to the shelves and scanned some titles.

"Thank you, Scribble." Phineas said setting down the books.

"Did you have a genre in mind?"

"No, anything will do." Phineas said. A moment later Scribble brought him a few titles then headed back to his research stack.

"I think you still have 'Lovers Crossed'" Scribble said as he began his work again.

"Did I borrow that? I thought I read it here." Phineas said, confused.

"Maybe it was your boyfriend." Scribble said. "You wanted to show it to him."

Phineas nearly fell over. "My what?"

"Your boyfriend. The hefty fellow." Scribble said, trying to remember his name. "Clank."

"He's not… I… We…" Phineas turned red as a cherry.

"You two aren't together?" Scribble asked. "I'm sorry. I must have misread that situation. You two seem a lot closer than friends to me."

Phineas fidgeted and hugged the books close to his chest. "I… um…"

"You like him, don't you?" Scribble asked. Phineas couldn't bring himself to answer. "It's alright if you do Phineas. I won't tell anyone."

Phineas relaxed slightly. "Thank you Scribble." He sat down on the other side of his stack of books. "I never told anyone."

"Why not?" Scribble asked.

"I didn't really know who to talk to." Phineas sighed. "The only couples I've seen are in the books I've read. I don't recall ever seeing any real couples here in Pixie Hollow."

"That makes sense." Scribble said. "Romance isn't uncommon, but from what I've noticed, people tend to keep quiet about it. Especially when it's between members of the same talent."

"Why's that?" Phineas asked.

"Well, I know in one instance it became too much of a distraction for the two involved and their superiors separated them so they could do their work." Scribble explained. "That was a long time ago, but I think that may be part of why it's not talked about very much. Either that or people just want to keep their personal lives personal. I for one have never been in love so I couldn't tell you why I'd avoid talking about it."

Phineas stared at the ground. "That's rather disheartening."

"Oh. I'm sorry Phineas." Scribble said quickly. "I didn't mean to discourage you. I'm sure if you wanted to pursue Clank it wouldn't be a bad thing."

"I certainly hope not." Phineas agreed.

A moment later the wagon passed by. Phineas said goodbye to scribble and rode back with Tweak who helped him get the next round of deliveries ready. He reached the end of the list by the time the sun was setting. "Clank should be done for the day by now." He said as he headed to his station. When he got there he found everything put away and the area abandoned.

"If you're looking for Clank, he left about an hour ago." Lucinda flew up behind Phineas.

"Oh," Phineas sighed. "I don't suppose you know where he went?"

Lucinda shook her head. "I couldn't say, Phineas. But y'know, he's a pretty good worker. He was really focused all day. Got more done today than I would in a week."

Phineas smiled weakly. "Aye. He's a great Tinker."

"You okay?" Lucinda asked.

"I'm fine." He lied. "Excuse me, Lucinda. I need to get going." He flew past her and hurried to Clank's home. He knocked but there was no answer, he tried to see inside but it was dark. "Clank, are you in there?" There was no response.

Phineas felt like there was ice in his chest. Where was Clank? What was wrong with him? He sighed and flew back home and sat outside for a while trying to watch for his friend. He worked on the delivery list for the next day while he sat in the growing darkness.

 _Clank I'm really worried about you._ Phineas thought. _Will you please talk to me?_

 _I've been worried about you for months and you won't talk to me._ Clank's voice said in his mind.

 _I know, and that's very foolish of me. I'm just worried that if you knew, you'd turn against me._ Phineas replied. _But I really want to tell you now._

 _It's too late, Bobble. You should have said something sooner._

Phineas stopped, his throat felt tight. "Too late…?" he mumbled. Why did his mind say that? Was it really too late to tell Clank?

"Too late for what?" Phineas looked up. Rosetta landed gracefully in front of him.

"Oh, good evening Rosetta, what brings you here?" he asked.

"Well, you and Clank didn't come to dinner so I thought I'd come see how you were doing. Where is Clank anyway?" she asked.

"I don't know." Phineas sighed. "I think he's avoiding me."

"What? Are you sure?" Rosetta sat beside him.

Phineas nodded. "He didn't stop by this morning like he usually does, I've barely seen him all day and when I did see him he didn't really want to talk to me. I mean, he did have a big order to fill, but that's never stopped him from talking to me before."

"Well, maybe he's still upset about yesterday." Rosetta said.

"That's what I'm hoping too." Phineas sighed. "I really hope he doesn't blame himself for what happened. It was an accident."

"Oh honey, I'm sure he knows that." Rosetta said. "And I'm sure he' not meaning to avoid you. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you tomorrow and you two can work out what's troubling him."

Phineas sighed. "I hope so."

Rosetta leaned over. "So, you said it's too late… Too late for what?"

He stiffened slightly. Could he talk to Rosetta about this? "Have you ever felt like you needed to do something but never could bring yourself to do it?"

"What do you mean?" Rosetta asked.

"Well, I don't really want to get into specifics, but there's something that's been eating at me for a while, something I want to say. I've had plenty of chances to say it, but… I'm such a coward, Rosetta. I can't say it."

"Is this what's been botherin' you for so long?" Rosetta asked

"Aye." Phineas admitted. "But I'm afraid that I waited too long."

Rosetta smiled softly. "Well, what is it you wanted to say?"

Phineas swallowed. "Do you remember my deal with Queen Clarion?"

"The one where you go to all the arrivals?" Rosetta asked. "What about it?"

"She said that I was waiting for someone. Someone important to me. Someone to bond with… Someone I _belong_ with." Phineas said, turning his gaze to the sky. "I think he's here."

"You mean Clank." Rosetta said.

"Aye." Phineas nodded. "I told him about the deal after Iridessa arrived. He suggested maybe it was him. I told him that we could assume it was. But I don't assume it's him. I know it's him."

"So why can't you just tell him that?" Rosetta asked. Phineas pulled his knees to his chest, not wanting to answer. "Phineas? Why?"

He took a deep breath. "Because I didn't expect it to feel this way." His voice shook. "I didn't expect to have such strong feelings for him."

Rosetta stared with confusion which melted into understanding. "You love him."

"I don't know. Maybe?" Phineas shrugged. "Something similar at least."

Rosetta smiled. "I thought so."

"What?" Phineas turned to her, surprised.

Rosetta put her arm around his shoulders. "I've had my suspicions. Clank can make you smile in a way none of the rest of us can." She explained. "And even though you've been having a hard time here recently, things have been a lot better for you since he showed up."

Phineas trembled slightly. "Aye, that's true. He's been really good to me."

"I think you should tell him." Rosetta said. "I don't think it's too late, and you'll feel better if you do."

Phineas curled in tighter on himself. "What if he doesn't feel the same way? That could ruin our friendship."

Rosetta laughed. "I know for a fact that you mean too much to him for unrequited feelings to break your friendship. He risked his life for you after all."

Phineas glanced at her. "You think so?"

"I know so." Rosetta smiled.

Phineas hugged her. "Thank you Rosetta."

"You're welcome." She said, rubbing his back. "Promise me you'll talk to him, okay?"

Phineas nodded into her shoulder. "I will. I'll tell him next time I see him."


	15. Avoidance

The next morning, Phineas had an easier time dressing himself with one arm. It was still a slower process than normal, but at least he was able to get his shirt buttoned on his own. When he tried to pull on his goggles he had a little difficulty, but someone knocked on the door while he was struggling with them.

"Come in" he said, hoping it would be Clank. He was ready to tell him. Now that both Rosetta and Scribble knew and were supportive of him, he felt confident he could tell Clank how he felt.

To his disappointment it wasn't Clank, but Lucinda again. "Good morning, Phineas." She said cheerfully.

"Good morning." He replied. "Can you help me with these?" he said holding up his goggles.

"Sure thing." Lucinda said, pulling them over his head. This time she got them on straight the first try. Phineas was very grateful for her help. She may not have been around much for the past few years but he was glad she was suddenly willing to help him out again.

"I see you're getting used to only having one arm." Lucinda said.

"Aye, it's a little easier today, but it's still quite a struggle." Phineas said. "Now where did I put that list?"

"Is this it?" Lucinda asked.

"Ah! There it is." Phineas took the list from Lucinda. "I'm ready to go when you are."

"Your handwriting is awful, Phineas." Lucinda teased as they headed outside.

"Hey, cut me some slack. I'm not left handed." Phineas defended.

Lucinda laughed. "Well, I'd better get to work."

"You were working with Clank yesterday, right?" Phineas asked.

"Yeah, I was."

"How far along is he on his order? I need to talk to him when he has some time." Phineas said.

"Oh, he finished that yesterday, even made some extras without even realizing what he was doing. It was weird." Lucinda said

"Well, can you tell him to come see me?" Phineas asked.

"Sure, I'll tell him as soon as I see him." Lucinda said

"Thank you, Lucinda." Phineas said.

He unrolled his list and began organizing the lighter supplies, putting them in the wagons. When other Tinkers showed up he asked them to load the heavier supplies. He eagerly waited for Clank to show up, but as it got later in the morning Phineas started to wonder if he was going to show up at all. He had all the wagons loaded and Tinkers were showing up to deliver the supplies. "I should go find him." he mumbled to himself.

He waited for someone to take the last wagon, but no one showed up, so he took it himself. He could find Clank when he got back. He was heading to the river. Maybe he'd see Silvermist. That was always nice. He took the path by the sunflower fields where Rosetta was painting petals. She flew over when she saw Phineas riding by.

"How'd it go?" She asked him.

"I haven't told him yet." Phineas said. "I haven't seen him today. I think I was right about him avoiding me."

"Phin, he's probably just busy with work like you are." Rosetta said. "Don't worry about it so much. You'll see him when you get back from… where are you going?"

"The river. Care to join me?" he patted the seat beside him. Rosetta took him off on the offer "It's really strange, Ro. He's always the first one I see every morning, but after I broke my arm, Lucinda's been the one showing up in the morning."

"Well, at least she's talkin' to you again." Rosetta said.

"Aye, that is nice. I've missed her." Phineas sighed. "But I wish Clank would come by too."

"I know dear." Rosetta said. "It is strange that he's made himself scarce, but I'm sure he has his reasons."

"I just hope he's not angry at me." Phineas sighed. "If I hadn't run off, then I wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Nothin' you can do about that now." Rosetta said.

"True." Phineas said. They arrived at the river where Silvermist was gliding gently on the surface of the water like a dancer. "Good morning, Miss Silvermist!"

She hopped gracefully onto the riverbank. "Good morning, Phin, Rosetta. How are you this morning?"

"I'm alright." Rosetta said.

"I've got your nets for you," Phineas said, reaching back into the wagon.

"Oh, here let me do that." Silvermist said going to take the nets herself. "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I'm not helpless Sil." Phineas grimaced. "I can lift a few nets."

"It's okay, I've got it." Sil said, she already had the nets in her arms. "Where's Clank this morning?"

"Not sure." Phineas shrugged. "I haven't seen him all morning."

"I haven't seen him since we came to see you at the healer's" Silvermist said. "Is he alright?"

"I wouldn't know. I've barely seen him since then myself." Phineas shrugged.

"Really?" Sil asked. "That's strange."

"It's probably nothing." Rosetta said. "He probably just has a lot of work to do now that he doesn't have you to work with him."

"Well Lucinda is apparently working with him." Phineas said.

"Oh, so then he's got a lot of work to do for sure." Silvermist said. Phineas couldn't help but grin. As sweet as Lucinda was, her reputation for being lazy was well known among most of the fairies.

"I'd help him if I could." Phineas said.

"But you gotta let that arm heal." Rosetta said.

Phineas shrugged. "I'm doing all I can with that."

"Hey, Phineas, where were you last night?" Silvermist asked. "I didn't see you at dinner."

"Oh, well, I was working on the delivery list for today. That's my job until I can work again." Phineas explained. "I'll be there tonight though, If I'm still welcome."

"See if you can get Clank to come too." Rosetta nudged him smiling slyly.

Phineas tried not to blush. "I will if I see him." he assured them.

He got back to Tinker's Nook around midday and got the next shipments ready to go. He decided to once again try and find Clank at his station. He flew there only to find it empty once again with spare parts scattered everywhere. Clank had been here recently, but where was he now? Not even Lucinda was here.

"Would you just cut him a break?" Phineas heard nearby. He followed Lucinda's voice.

"Why should I?" Phineas stopped, then hid behind a pile of baskets. "He's so helpless that he couldn't even hide from a hawk. And now we're down a worker in our busiest time. If he would just do what he's told instead of running off all the time then we wouldn't be as far behind schedule." Dozer snapped.

"And now he's not even helping with the crafting and is just ordering around Tinkers in the loading dock like he thinks he's Fairy Mary or something!" Dozer continued.

"She gave him that job!" Lucinda yelled. "What do you expect him to do with a broken arm anyway?"

"He's a Tinker. He should be able to figure something out." Dozer grumbled.

"So you don't feel sorry for him at all?" Lucinda asked. "After he nearly got eaten and suffered what had to be a lot of pain? His arm is _broken_ Dozer! It's got to hurt!"

"Whatever. It's not like I broke his arm. From what I heard that was Clank's fault." Dozer said.

"You're being incredibly unfair." Lucinda said. "You'd better start being nicer to him or"

"Or what?" Dozer cut her off. "Why do you care anyway? If anything I think you of all people should be just as annoyed with him as I am. He's even lazier than you are yet who always gets told off by Fairy Mary? You. You shouldn't be cleaning up after him when you have so much of your own work to be doing."

Lucinda stared at the ground and said nothing. "That's what I thought." Dozer hissed. "Now quit wasting my time and get back to work." Dozer flew off leaving Lucinda alone. Phineas wanted to say something to her to comfort her, but she flew away in the opposite direction, mumbling to herself. Phineas came out from behind the baskets and stared after Lucinda. Dozer had no right to yell at her like that. He really was a roach.

"Phineas, there you are." Fairy Mary said behind him. "I have a few more orders you need to add to your list."

"Aye, Fairy Mary." He said before following her, forgetting about finding Clank.

That evening, as promised, Phineas went to meet the girls for dinner. Fawn and Iridessa both inquired as to how his arm was. "Still broken, still hurts." He shrugged.

"Did you ever see Clank today?" Rosetta asked.

"Not once." Phineas sighed.

"That's really weird." Iridessa said. "Clank's usually glued to your side."

"And when he's not he's always talking about you." Silvermist said.

"That's right!" Iridessa said. "He talked about you a lot when I first met him. It's so weird that he's not just here with you."

"Aye, it's strange not having him around." Phineas agreed. "I'm not sure what's going on with him."

"He's actin' stranger than you do." Rosetta said.

"Hey!" Phineas yelled. "Oh who am I kidding, you're right. I know I've been worked up a lot lately, but I never tried to push you guys away did I?"

"Not really, no." Fawn shrugged.

"It's strange enough that he's avoiding you, Phineas." Silvermist said "But why would he avoid the rest of us?"

Phineas shook his head "I have no idea."

"Maybe he's hidin' something." Rosetta said, giving Phineas a little smirk. He glared at her, with a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Like what?" Fawn asked.

"Maybe he feels bad about the other day?" Iridessa suggested.

"Or he could still be shaken up about the whole thing." Fawn said. "I've seen adult hawks up close and they can be pretty terrifying. I wouldn't want to be chased by one like you guys were."

"It's possible that's what's bothering him." Phineas said.

"It's also possible he just doesn't want to be around you." They all looked to see Dozer standing behind Phineas.

"Would you go away?" Rosetta glared. "I don't recall invitin' you over here."

"Clank's finally caught onto what the rest of us see." Dozer said. "Looks like he finally realized that nobody needs this useless Tinker."

"Leave him alone!" Fawn got to her feet and stood beside Phineas. "Phin's ten times the tinker you'll ever be even with a broken arm."

"Having the girls fight your battles for you? You really are pathetic." Dozer glared. Phineas stood up and faced Dozer.

"Phin, don't!" Sil said. "You'll just get more hurt!"

"Yeah, Phin!" Dozer mocked "You don't wanna get your dainty little hands dirty! Why don't you call Clank to save you? Oh wait a second, he's not here is he?"

"Shut your mouth." Phineas glowered.

"Why don't you make me?" Dozer said darkly.

Phineas lunged at him.

"Phin!" Fawn yelled.

"No! Don't!" Iridessa shouted rising to her feet as well.

Dozer moved out of the way and grabbed Phineas by the right arm. He let out a wail as pain shot through him. He dropped to his knees as his eyes watered. "Let go! Let go!" he cried.

"That's enough!" a voice boomed from behind them. The entire restaurant was watching them, and from the crowd Fairy Mary hovered to them, Fairy Gary right behind her. "Let him go, Dozer." She had a look that could petrify even the bravest scout fairy. Dozer released Phineas and stepped back.

"Fairy Mary… I…"

"I'd hold my tongue if I were you." Fairy Gary said.

"Come with me." Fairy Mary ordered. "Now."

"But…"

"Now." She repeated more firmly. Dozer's wings drooped as he followed behind her. Fairy Gary helped Phineas to his feet.

"Are you alright, boy?" he asked.

"Aye, I'm fine." Phineas said, wiping the tears that fell.

"How's the arm?" Fairy Gary asked gently lifting it.

"It'll be fine." Phineas said. "It hurts but I don't think the bones shifted."

"Good." Fairy Gary said. He looked to the table. "Ladies, I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening. I best be off."

They watched him leave and slowly the restaurant goers went back to their own conversations. The five of them sat back down and resumed talking.

"Dozer is terrible," Rosetta said.

"I wish he'd leave you alone." Fawn crossed her arms. "It's not like you've ever done anything to him."

Phineas stared at the table. He thought about Dozer pushing him down the other day. "At least he's finally getting punished for some of his behavior." Phineas sighed.

"It's about time if you ask me." Fawn said.

"I'm with you, Fawn." Sil agreed. "He has no right to treat Phineas that way."

"What makes me mad is how he's so keen on coming between you and Clank." Iridessa said.

"He's been tryin' to isolate Phineas for years." Rosetta said.

"Why?" Dessa asked.

"Because he's nothing but a lying, self-centered roach who thinks that people make up problems for attention." Phineas sighed.

"You alright, Phin?" Fawn asked.

"Aye, I'm fine." He sighed. "I just hope he's wrong about Clank and why he's avoiding me."

"You know he's wrong about that." Fawn said.

"Clank's too sweet a guy to just cut you off without talking to you first." Sil said.

"I know." Phineas sighed. "I just miss him."

"You know what I'd do if I were you?" Rosetta asked.

"What?" Phineas asked.

"I'd go to his house and stay there until I talked to him. And I mean _really_ talked to him. You understand?" she asked.

Phineas smiled softly. "Got it, Rosetta." He stood up. "I'll go talk to him right now."

"Bring him something to eat!" Iridessa called after him as he walked away.

One of the bakers wrapped up some pastries for Phineas and he made his way to Clank's house. The sun had long since set and Phineas could see from a distance that there was light inside Clank's house. "At least he's home." He mumbled to himself. He could feel his nervousness build up in his chest. _Be brave, Phineas. You can talk to him._

He landed in front of Clank's house and could hear quiet sounds from inside. He knocked on the door and there was a loud clattering from inside followed by silence. Phineas waited a moment and was about to knock again when Clank called out "Who is it?"

"It's me, Clank." Phineas replied. There was a loud clunk and hurried footsteps but the door remained shut

"Uh, now's not a good time!" Clank called. "Come back later!"

"Clank! I brought you supper." Phineas yelled, feeling both worried and irritated.

"Not hungry!" Clank shouted back.

Phineas huffed in annoyance and pushed the door open with a groan. "Clank what's gotten into you? Why are you acting so" Phineas dropped the food he'd brought as Clank quickly spun around to face him. He had his shirt off and bandages in his hands. Panic was written all over his face.

Phineas covered his mouth in shock. He'd only gotten a glimpse before Clank turned around, but the mirror behind him showed everything. Four long, stitched-up cuts down his back, one dangerously close to his wings.


	16. Rewind

Clank rode back to Tinker's Nook alone. He really wanted to follow Phineas and find out what in the world was bothering him, but he had to put the wagon away first. He passed Dozer on his way to the loading dock.

"Where is he?" Dozer asked.

"Who?" Clank knew who.

"Bobble you snail brain. Where is he?" Dozer demanded.

"I don't know." Clank said.

"Fine. I'll find him myself." Dozer said and flew off.

Clank went to the dock and unhitched the mouse from the wagon and let him wander free. He needed to go find Bobble before Dozer did. _Call him Phineas. He doesn't like that name._ Clank reminded himself.

"Clank!" Fairy Mary called to him as she flew to him. "I need you and Phineas to get to work on seed bushels. We need twenty more by the end of the week." She looked up from her list. "Where's Phineas?"

"He got upset again, Fairy Mary." Clank said. "Dunno what caused it, but he said he needed some alone time. I was about to go look for him."

Fairy Mary let out a huff "That boy seriously needs to figure out a better way to deal with what's bothering him." she shrugged "Oh well, you'd better go find him, Clank."

Clank headed back to where Bobble _Phineas_ had left him. "Okay, he flew off in that direction." Clank mumbled, recalling where he'd gone. There was a screech from up in the sky. Clank looked up and spotted a hawk flying over where he'd seen Bobble go. "Oh no!" he gasped and flew towards the hawk.

The hawk shrieked again and began descending, Clank's breath quickened. _Please don't be there, please Bobble, be somewhere else!_ He'd nearly reached where the hawk was as it began to dive, shrieking for a third time. Clank looked down to where it was aiming. "No…" he gasped. Bobble was stumbling around out in the open and the hawk was going right for him.

"Bobble!" Clank flew as fast as his wings could carry him. _Why couldn't I have been born a fast flier?_ He wasn't going to make it. The hawk would get there first. Bobble turned to him. _NO!_ Clank pressed forward and grabbed Bobble off the ground, holding him tightly. _I will NOT lose you!_ He did it! He'd gotten there first! He smiled with relief as he began flying higher. The hawk turned and flew after them. Clank looked over his shoulder just as the hawk swooped past, its talons extended. He screamed as they tore through his shirt and skin, dropping Bobble into the tall grass. He fell and landed by Bobble whose arm was bent out of shape. Clank quickly covered his mouth before he could scream and put himself over Bobble completely.

Bobble shouted into Clank's hand and blinked rapidly. Above, he could hear the sounds of scouts fighting off the hawk. "It's okay, Bobble." His voice shook, he looked over his shoulder at the four gashes the hawk had left. He clenched his teeth and looked back to Bobble who was now staring at him with pain evident in his eyes. "It's okay. I've got you. The scouts are here, and I've got you."

Bobble wriggled underneath him and his shouts were muffled by Clank's hand. Clank saw the tears gather in his eyes. "Please try not to scream." He pleaded. "Please… hold it in 'til the hawk's gone." Phineas whimpered beneath him. Clank held eye contact with him, ignoring the sting of the gashes. "It's okay." he whispered to Bobble. "I'll keep you safe… I'll protect you… I've got you, Bobble."

Finally the hawk was gone and Clank took his hand from Bobble's mouth. He curled up and screamed as soon as Clank let go. Clank lifted off of him as he sobbed, holding his arm to his chest. Clank put his arms under Bobble's legs and back and picked him up, hugging him to his chest. He heaved heavy, terrified breaths. _I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have come with you. I'm sorry._

"Are you two alright?" Clank turned to a dark skinned scout.

He nodded. "I'm alright." He lied, then nodded to Bobble. "He's hurt. His arm… I think it's…"

"Get him to the healer." The scout said

"Okay." Clank agreed. "Can you find Fairy Mary and tell her what happened?"

"Of course, now go." The scout ordered.

It was a long walk to the healer's. Clank didn't want to try to fly with how badly his back had been damaged. Bobble continued sobbing and Clank couldn't bring himself to say a word to him. He got to the healers and they took Bobble back almost as soon as they arrived. As soon as he was out of sight, Clank spoke to the receptionist.

"I need to see a healer too." He said quietly.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Clank wordlessly turned and showed her his back. Her eyes widened and she immediately brought him back to a separate room.

The healer cut his shirt off and discarded it. Clank didn't care. It was ruined anyway. "I'm going to put some ointment on these cuts, Mr. Clank." He said. "It's going to sting, so brace yourself." He winced as the healer began rubbing the ointment into the wounds. From two rooms away he heard Bobble scream.

"Bobble…" he whispered as tears slid down his cheeks.

"Your friend will be fine." The healer said. "They're probably just setting the bones in his arm."

Clank lowered his head and sobbed. _This is all my fault. I'm such an awful friend. I'm no good for him. He'd be better off without me._

"Clank?" he looked up to see Fairy Mary. She had one of his shirts folded over his arm. She laid it down and put her hand on his shoulder. "Fury told me you and Phineas were injured."

Clank dropped his head into his hands and shook. Fairy Mary rubbed his arm. "Clank… It's okay. You're safe now."

"It's my fault Fairy Mary. I wasn't fast enough. I should've stayed low. I…"

"Clank." Fairy Mary cut him off. "It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault. I'm sure Phineas doesn't blame you. I'm sure he's just as worried about you as you are about him."

"He doesn't know I'm hurt." Clank breathed.

"Well when you tell him." Fairy Mary started.

"I don't want him to know." Clank cried. "Please don't tell him. Fairy Mary, don't tell him. He can't know I messed up this bad."

"Clank…" Fairy Mary said softly.

"Mr. Clank, I'm going to stitch these up. I need you to lie on your chest and be as still as possible." Clank complied, then gave Fairy Mary a desperate look.

"I won't tell him." she sighed.

"Thank you." He said.

Fairy Mary left him when the healer began wrapping his torso in bandages. He'd stopped crying but couldn't get Bobble _His name is Phineas_ and his awful look of pain out of his head.

"Did you hear me, Mr. Clank?" The healer asked.

"Sorry, no. I wasn't listening." Clank admitted.

"I'm going to make more ointment for your back. I need you to come back tomorrow to get it. For tonight you should be fine, but you need to treat those cuts every morning when you get up and every night before you go to bed. And I don't want you to fly until those have healed. The strain could tear the stitches open." He explained.

Clank nodded. "Okay."

"You're going to be fine, Clank. Your friend will be too." The healer assured him. "You should be happy you're both alive."

Clank pulled his shirt on. Thankfully they covered up the bandages. He headed back out to the waiting area. He couldn't relax. This was just awful. And how must… Phineas… feel? If he was upset before, he must be ten times worse now.

"Clank!" he was suddenly surrounded by his friends. Silvermist and Iridessa both hugged him tight. He winced as his back stung.

"Clank, are you alright?" Fawn asked

"Did you get hurt?" Rosetta asked

"I'm fine." Clank said softly as he took a step back. Phineas came through the crowd of girls, his arm hung in a sling, Clank's heart ached. "I'm so sorry." He whispered.

"It's fine, Clank. It's not your fault." Phineas said.

Clank tore his gaze away. _Yes it is. It's all my fault._

"We'd best be heading back, boys. You both need to take the rest of the day to recover." Fairy Mary said, heading towards Tinker's nook.

"Aye" Phineas agreed. The girls called after them as he trudged after Fairy Mary, feeling much heavier than usual. He was glad Fairy Mary thought to walk rather than fly. He didn't want to make an excuse why he couldn't fly. He kept glancing at Phineas and his arm, dangling there. _You just had to hurt him, didn't you?_

"Hey Clank?" Phineas said.

Clank swallowed. "Yes Phineas?"

Phineas took a moment to answer. "Thank you… for saving me."

Clank forced a smile and sighed. "You're welcome."

They were almost back to the workshop now. "We have the rest of the day." Phineas said. "What do you want to do?"

What he really wanted was undo what he'd done. Go back and make sure Phineas didn't get hurt, make sure his back didn't get wrecked. That was impossible. "I'm just going to go to bed." He said, feeling defeated.

"Oh…" Phineas sighed. "Well I…"

"Phineas," Fairy Mary said. Clank hesitated after Phineas turned away, then turned and left, heading back home and locking himself inside. He didn't leave for the rest of the night, not even when Phineas came by. He couldn't face him. Not after he had broken him. He cried silently until he fell asleep.

 _He found himself flying above the clearing. Bobble running for his life just below him. The horrific screeches of the hawk filled his ears. "Bobble!" he screamed trying to fly to him, but he was moving at a snail's pace. "Bobble, run!"_

 _He tried to reach him. He tried so hard to move faster. Tried to get to Bobble. "No! Please! Get away from him!" he shouted at the hawk as it closed in. Bobble looked up at him, frozen with fear._

 _"_ _Clank...!" he gasped._

 _The hawk grabbed him._

Clank awoke with a start. "Bobble!" he gasped for breath and trembled. "Calm down, Clank… you were only dreaming." He whispered, but he continued to shake as his eyes watered.

"What if I hadn't been fast enough?" he whispered to himself. He got up and paced around his home. "This'll all pass eventually. His arm will heal… My back… Things'll go back to normal." He wiped his eyes as his heart pounded, still terrified from the nightmare.

"If he finds out, he'll be so upset." Clank sighed. "I can't let that happen." He looked out the window, still trying to catch his breath. The sun wasn't up yet, but the glimmer of twilight suggested it would be rising soon. He dressed and headed outside. The sting in his back reminded him he needed to go to the Healers to get more ointment, so he looked for Fairy Mary to tell her where he was going.

He found her with Lucinda in the loading dock. "Good morning, Clank!" She greeted. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Not good." He sighed. "I didn't sleep very well."

"Are you still okay to work? We still need those seed bushels." Fairy Mary said.

Clank nodded. "I can work on those."

"I'll help him." Lucinda said.

Clank glanced at her. He'd never really spoken to Lucinda before, but from what he understood she wasn't usually the one to jump up and help at the first opportunity.

"You're up early." He said.

"Yeah. There's a lot to get done." She said. "I was about to go see Bobble. Ugh. I need to stop calling him that. Phineas. I was gonna go see Phineas. Do you wanna come with me?"

"I… Can't." he replied.

"Clank, You're not trying to avoid him are you?" Fairy Mary asked.

"No! No of course not!" Clank said. "The Healers just asked me to come back this morning to get more ointment."

"Well, they're not going anywhere." Lucinda said. "You could come with me and you and Phineas can head over there together."

"No!" Clank shouted. "No. I don't want him to come with me."

"Why not?" Lucinda asked.

Fairy Mary sighed "He doesn't want Phineas to know he got hurt yesterday, which I still think is ridiculous."

"I just don't want him to get more upset." Clank shook.

"Hey, hey, calm down." Lucinda said. "I won't tell him."

"But you should, Clank." Fairy Mary said.

Clank stared at the ground. "I'd… Better get going…" he sighed.

"Fine, hurry back, Clank." Fairy Mary called after him.

The receptionist made Clank wait for an hour before he could go back and see the healer. Finally the sparrowman who had helped him yesterday called him back. His bandages were removed and the Healer rubbed the ointment onto the wounds.

"Remember, Mr. Clank. This needs to be applied twice a day." He said.

"When I wake up and before I go to sleep. I remember." Clank replied.

"That's right. Make sure each cut gets completely treated. It might help if you have someone do it for you. You can let the cuts breathe at night if you think you need to, but wear the bandages during the day, especially if you're working. You need to be sure to keep them clean."

"Okay." Clank nodded.

"And no flying."

"I know." he sighed.

"If you keep with the treatment you should be fine in a few weeks."

Clank didn't reply.

"So if that's everything, you can go." The healer said, handing him a jar of ointment. "Is there anything you'd like to talk about, Mr. Clank?"

"Not really." Clank said.

The Healer eyed him carefully. "You're probably experiencing some stress. It's completely natural after an experience like the one you had. It's important to remember to talk about anything bothering you instead of letting it bottle up until you reach a breaking point."

"I'm fine." Clank said.

"If you say so." The Healer clearly didn't believe him. "Just keep that in mind, and come back if you need anything."

"I will." Clank sighed and left the examination room.

It took a lot longer to go anywhere without flying. He finally got back to Tinker's Nook late in the morning. He was going to go straight to his work station after dropping the ointment off in his house, but decided to check the loading area for Fairy Mary first to let her know he'd gotten back.

He stopped when he got close hearing Bobble's voice. "This load needs to go to the garden talents. Tweak, can you put the lady bug paint in here? Thank you. Alright, when you have a moment, this needs to get to the Animal Fairies."

Clank swallowed and absconded to his work station before Bobble saw him. He absolutely could not face him, especially when he was the reason Bobble couldn't Tinker anymore. He thought maybe if he got to work on the Seed Bushels then the day would go by faster and he could hide in his house again. He started gathering leaves together and found a needle.

"Spider thread." He mumbled, turning to the shelf where it was kept. It was on the back of the highest shelf. "Of course." Clank sighed, standing on his toes trying to reach it. His fingers brushed against the spool, pushing it back further. He stretched as far as he could trying to reach, straining his back. He grit his teeth and a smaller hand grabbed the thread off the shelf.

Clank startled and saw Bobble hovering behind him. "Phineas…" he breathed. His back was stinging, he turned to his table to hide a wince. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Phineas said as he handed the thread to Clank. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, everything's great." Clank said carefully as he sat down and began working. Bobble just watched him while he worked and Clank felt very awkward. He refused to look at Bobble or his arm. The guilt kept sinking deeper into his skin. _Please go. I'm sorry. I can't handle this right now._

"Is something wrong?" Bobble asked. "You seem… out of sorts."

"Nothing's wrong." Clank lied. _He's not gonna believe that._ "I mean, I guess I didn't sleep very well last night, but I'm fine."

"Why couldn't you sleep?" Bobble asked.

"I dunno." _Because I broke you._ "I just couldn't."

"Did you have something on your mind?" Bobble asked.

 _You nearly died and it's my fault._ "No, not really."

"Oh," Bobble sighed. "Well, I wanted to talk to you if you have a minute."

 _No!_ "Can it wait?" Clank asked. _He's gonna find out about my back! He's gonna be so upset! This is awful! I can't let him find out!_ "I need to make twenty of these by the end of the week, so I need to focus"

"I… suppose it could wait."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later then" Clank said. He wouldn't look at Bobble. He stared at his sewing until he heard Bobble fly off. He dropped his project on the table and held his face in his hands. "It's just til I can fly again. Then everything will be fine again."

"So you are avoiding him." Clank looked up and saw Lucinda gathering supplies at Bobble's usual station. "You really shouldn't do that."

"I just don't want him to worry about me." Clank explained, getting back to work.

"Makes sense. But he's probably going to worry anyway. You know how he is." Lucinda began working as well.

"If he finds out what happened to my back, he'll blame himself. But it's not his fault. It's mine." Clank sighed.

"It is NOT your fault!" Lucinda snapped.

Clank jumped "Lu-Lucinda?"

"Sorry." She sighed. "Look, I know you feel bad about what happened but it was… an accident." She looked mad. "It's not your fault. It's not Phineas's fault. And I'd better not hear you blame yourself again."

 _But it is my fault_ Clank thought. "Okay."

He kept working for hours. He tried not to think about Bobble. What did he want to talk about? He probably wanted to talk about yesterday. Images of the hawk flashed into his head, the fierce eyes, the sharp talons, those talons slicing through him.

"Clank!"

He jerked his head up. Lucinda was standing in front of him. "Sorry, did you need something?"

"You were breathing really funny." She said. "You're sweating. Are you alright?"

Clank nodded. "I'm fine, I swear."

"You're lying." Lucinda said.

"No, really. I'm okay. I just need to finish up this order." Clank said, looking back down to his seed bushels. There were several of them on the table. "How many do I have left?"

"Negative eight." Lucinda answered. "You've been so enveloped in that you didn't even notice you made too many."

Clank sat back. "I haven't been working long enough to do that, have I?"

"You've been sitting there for at least seven hours." Lucinda said. "I've never seen someone that focused on work."

Clank curled his fingers a few times, realizing they were stiff. _I guess I was doing that for a long time._ "Well, at least Fairy Mary has her bushels now."

"I guess so." Lucinda said. "You've been working too hard. Why don't you quit for the day? I can clean up here."

"Yeah. Okay." Clank agreed, getting up. He was careful to avoid the loading dock in case Bobble was still there. He knew Bobble would be looking for him, but he didn't want to hear what Bobble wanted to talk about, especially if it was what he expected Bobble wanted to say. He headed back to his house as quickly as he could.

He spotted the ointment on his table when he got home. "Oh right." He sighed. "I need to do that." It was still rather early, but he was exhausted and just wanted to go to sleep. He pulled off his shirt and started unwrapping his bandages, unsure how he was going to properly treat his wounds by himself.

He stood with his back to his mirror and reached over his shoulder as far as he could to treat one of the gashes. He hissed in pain as he touched them, the medicine stung as well. He got the first cut treated as much as he could from the top and tried to reach the bottom of it, but the middle of the cut was out of his reach.

"Now what?" he wondered. There was a knock at his door, he held his breath a moment. "Wh..Who is it?" he shook _Please not Bobble._ He grabbed his shirt, ready to pull it on in case he had to hide again.

"Clank, open up. It's me." Fairy Mary said from outside.

Clank sighed with relief and let her inside. She had some food with her which she handed to Clank when he opened the door. "I figured you might be hungry."

"Thank you." Clank said. He realized he hadn't eaten at all today, but didn't really feel all that hungry. "Um, do you mind helping me? I can't reach…" he glanced over his shoulder.

"Of course, Clank. That's why I'm here." Fairy Mary said. "Have a seat. You can eat while I treat your back."

He ate slowly, and tried to ignore how much the medicine hurt when it made contact with his skin. Again his mind wandered to yesterday. The awful screeching sounds and the talons, and the fear of losing Bobble. He didn't notice that he started crying.

"Clank? Are you alright?" Fairy Mary asked.

"Of course not." Clank sobbed. "Would you be okay if you nearly lost your best friend? Or if you nearly lost your wings and broke him in the process?"

"Shhh, it's alright, Clank." Fairy Mary soothed. "Phineas is fine, and you're going to be fine too. Yesterday was hard on everyone. You nearly lost someone you care about, and I nearly lost two of my best workers who _I_ really care about. But you know what, Clank?"

"What?"

"We didn't." She smiled. "You and Phineas are both alive and that's what matters to me."

Clank bit his lip. "I guess so. But…"

"But you both got hurt, I know. That's unfortunate, but it's nothing you can't recover from." Fairy Mary said.

"But if it weren't for me, we wouldn't have been hurt at all." Clank cried.

"Clank, you really need to stop blaming yourself. It really isn't your or anyone else's fault. You're never going to feel better if you don't stop blaming yourself." Fairy Mary said. Clank didn't answer and stared at the floor. Realization dawned on Fairy Mary. "I'm guessing you don't want to feel better."

"Why wouldn't I want to feel better?" Clank asked. "All I want is for things to go back to the way they were. Back when he was happy."

Fairy Mary sighed. "I don't know what to tell you, Clank. You can't turn back time. You can't undo what happened yesterday. But what you can do is forgive yourself and move on." She finished treating the last cut and stepped back. "Also keep in mind you're not doing Phineas any favors by ignoring him. He was asking about you this morning, so I know he's worried about you."

Clank wiped his eyes. "Thanks for your help, Fairy Mary." He said. "And thanks for the food. I'm really tired so…"

Fairy Mary sighed. Clearly he wasn't ready to listen. "Alright then, goodnight, Clank."

He closed his curtains and darkened all the lights after Fairy Mary left. He went to bed, laying on his side, unable to fall asleep. There was a soft knock on his door. Clank glanced over at the door but stayed silent.

"Clank, are you in there?" Bobble called from outside.

Clank shut his eyes tight. _I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you._ He heard Bobble sigh and the flutter of his wings as he flew away. Clank hugged his pillow to his chest, and stayed still until he fell asleep.

 _"_ _Where are you?" Clank yelled in a panic. "Bobble, where are you?"_

 _"_ _Help me!" Clank turned towards Bobble's voice. "Help me, Please!"_

 _Clank flew towards the voice unable to see Bobble. "Where are you?" he called again._

 _"_ _Help! Please! Help!"_

 _"_ _I can't see you! Bobble, where are you?" Clank cried._

 _Suddenly Bobble was right in front of him. He was translucent and held no emotion on his face. Clank reached out to him, but his hand went right through him. "You were too slow."_

 _There was a screech as Bobble disappeared like smoke. The hawk darted through the apparition, talons extended._

Clank screamed and sat up in bed. The sun was beginning to rise as he panted. "Just a nightmare. Everything's fine. You're fine." He said to himself.

He sat in his bed for a while, trying to catch his breath and trying to forget the images that replayed in his head. Was this going to keep happening? Was he going to keep seeing Bobble die? He held his face in his hands and trembled and stayed that way until someone knocked at the door.

"Who is it?" he asked, not bothering to get up.

"It's me, Clank." Fairy Mary replied.

"Come in." he said, still not wanting to move. Fairy Mary entered and spotted him sitting on his bed.

"Did you just wake up, Clank?" she asked.

"No…" he said. "Been awake for a little while."

"I see." Fairy Mary said. "Well, you'd best get up. We need to take care of your back."

"Right." Clank sighed, forcing himself out of bed and over to the table where Fairy Mary began treatment. It still stung, but he didn't hiss as much as before. A few moments later, Fairy Mary helped him wrap the bandages around his torso and he pulled his shirt on.

"Clank." Fairy Mary sighed. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Phineas months ago. Your health is more important than Tinkering. I can see that you're still struggling with what happened the other day. That's fine. It's to be expected. If you need to take more time to yourself to recuperate, then I want you to do that."

"I still want to work." Clank said. "There's still a lot to do isn't there?"

"Yes, Clank. But we can manage without you if you need the day off." She said.

Clank sighed. "I want to go to work. But I'll stop if I need to."

Fairy Mary nodded. "Alright."

She escorted him from his home to the workshop. It was late in the morning now, and she took the bushels he'd made yesterday to where Bobble was in the work area. Lucinda was there working already. She smiled at him as he got to work.

"I went to see Phineas again this morning." She said. Clank glanced at her but said nothing. "He wanted me to tell you to go see him."

Clank sighed and kept working. "I can't Lucinda."

Lucinda floated over and sat beside him. "I know. But now at least I've passed the message along. It really stinks that you two aren't talking anymore."

"It's not like I'm gonna stay away forever. Just until my back heals." Clank explained.

"That'll be weeks from now. Do you really want to stay away from him for that long?" Lucinda asked.

Clank set his work down and pushed back from the table. "I don't really have any other choice."

"You could tell him you got hurt too." Lucinda said.

"I can't!" Clank shouted. Lucinda stared at him. "I don't want him to blame himself for what happened to me!"

"You mean like how you blame yourself for breaking his arm?" Lucinda asked.

"That's different. That really was my fault."

"No!" Lucinda grabbed his arm. "I told you yesterday that it wasn't. You two are so ridiculous sometimes. Neither of you should blame yourselves for this!"

Clank fell silent and resumed working. Lucinda sighed. "I'm sorry for yelling. It just bugs me that you feel so guilty about this when you should actually be proud of yourself."

"I've got no reason to be proud." Clank sighed.

Lucinda sighed. "You're wrong, but clearly there's nothing I can say to change your mind about that." She went back to Bobble's station and got back to work. Clank kept working with intense focus like he did yesterday. He kept repeating the steps of each task in his head so he wouldn't think about the hawk incident.

 _Fold here. Sew there. Cut in two. Tear this. Just tear through it._ His breath quickened as he tore a leaf in half. He heard the screech echo in his head again. _Help me! Please!_ Bobble's voice screamed. His hands began shaking. He clenched his jaw and lay the leaves flat on the table and began folding them together. _Clank, please save me!_ He held his breath and tied twine around the leaves. A screech, followed by a scream. Clank gasped. _You were too slow._

"Clank?"

"What?!" he shouted throwing his work aside. "What is it?!"

Lucinda backed up. "You… were panicking again… What were you making anyway?" Clank looked at the object on the table. He couldn't make any sense of what it might be.

"I don't know." He threw it aside. "I don't know what I'm doing." He pushed everything off his table.

"Calm down!" Lucinda said. "Clank, it's okay! It's okay, relax."

Clank sat down and stared at the things he'd knocked to the floor. There was a lot there that he didn't remember being on the table. "Did I make this mess?"

"Yeah." Lucinda said. "You keep throwing things on the ground after working on them for about ten minutes. I have no idea what you're trying to make… but I don't think you're gonna get it made today."

Clank put his hand to his forehead. "I can't even work. What good am I?"

"Clank, go home." Lucinda said. "There's no sense in staying here if you're just going to keep making more junk."

"Okay." he sighed. "Will you be alright on your own?"

"I'll be fine. Go ahead. I'll get this cleaned up." Lucinda said.

"Thank you, Lucinda." He sighed and headed back towards his house. As he left the work area, he bumped shoulders with Dozer.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dozer asked.

"It's none of your business." Clank said. He didn't even look at him and kept walking.

"Bobble's really rubbing off on you. Ditching work, but you're not as good at making excuses." Dozer said. Clank kept walking. He felt bad enough, he didn't want to listen to Dozer. "Fairy Mary will hear about this." He called after Clank. He didn't care. Fairy Mary had told him not to work today anyway so it wasn't a big deal. He went home and closed himself inside.

He had nothing to do. It was still early in the day and he had no way to distract himself. He sat in his home, alone with his thoughts, which he realized quickly was a bad thing. He still was unable to get the images out of his head from that day and from his nightmares.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled to no one while hunched over his table. "I didn't mean to…" he sighed. He didn't know what to do. Everyone kept telling him he needed to talk about what happened and that he should talk to Bobble. He wanted to if he was being honest with himself, but he was so terrified of how he'd react.

"I'm an awful friend." He shook. "I can't manage to make you smile, so I hurt you instead. Maybe you are better off without me." Clank held himself, starting to believe he was right. Bobble meant the world to him. He did everything he could to show him that. He'd lost sleep, given him sight, and tried to take care of him during his panic episodes. It was becoming apparent to him that he only made things worse for Bobble.

"Maybe I should just stay away from him." he sighed as his heart ached.

As the day dragged on, more thoughts like this filled Clank's head, making him feel worse and worse so when it was time for the rest of Tinker's Nook to settle down, he felt like he'd been torn to pieces. He just wanted to go to sleep, even though he'd spent time between the negative thoughts napping. He waited for Fairy Mary to come and help him with his back, knowing she would be showing up soon.

The sun began setting and she still wasn't there. Clank paced around by his table wondering what was taking her so long. "Maybe she's still finishing up inventory." He mumbled. But time dragged on longer and she still never came.

Clank sighed and pulled his shirt off. He could at least get started on treating his wounds, and if she never showed at least getting what he could reach was better than nothing. He started unwrapping the bandages from his torso. They were sticking to his back, making him wince every time he pulled one off. "Ow…. Ouch… ngh…" he clenched his teeth as he kept unraveling himself. Finally he got the bandages off. He dropped them by his shirt and began rubbing the ointment on his back, grunting as he did.

There was a sharp knock at the door, startling Clank. He turned quickly to the door and bumped into his table, knocking the ointment to the ground. Clank picked up the ointment and set it back on the table, trying to remain calm. "Who is it?" he called.

"It's me, Clank." Bobble's voice answered.

 _No! Oh no, please no!_ He ran around his table and knocked into his chair, knocking it over. He grabbed the bandages and stepped back. "Uh! Now's not a good time!" he said in a panic "Come back later!"

"Clank!" Bobble yelled. _He sounds mad. Oh no._ "I brought you supper!"

"Not hungry!" Clank said looking for the end of the bandage in his hand. Maybe he could re-wrap them and tell Bobble to leave and he would never know what happened.

The door pushed open behind him. Bobble groaned "Clank, what's gotten into you? Why are you acting so" he gasped as Clank spun around to try and hide his back. Bobble dropped the food he'd brought with him and covered his mouth, shock clear in his eyes. Clank stared at him, he felt sick with fear as Bobble stepped Closer.

"Clank…" he breathed, slowly lowering his hand.

"Bobble… I'm so sorry…" Clank choked as tears slid down his face.


	17. We Need to Talk

Phineas shut the door behind him and approached Clank, reaching for him. Clank took a step back making Phineas pause. He kept looking from Clank to the mirror, and finally he saw the chair on the floor. Silently, Phineas went and set the chair upright and turned to Clank.

"Come sit down." He said softly. Clank did so, and lay his head on the table. He began sobbing as Phineas wordlessly took the ointment and began rubbing it into the cuts. Clank flinched every time Phineas touched him, then would slowly relax as he continued the treatment. Phineas gently lifted Clank's wings to treat the cut closest to them and was very careful not to get any of the ointment on the wings. When he'd finished he wiped his hand clean and slid his fingertips along one of his wings to let him know he could lower them. Clank shivered. "Did that hurt?" Phineas asked. Clank shook his head.

Phineas went around and sat in front of Clank, who refused to look at him. "So this is why you fell." Phineas said. "The hawk got you."

Clank sniffled and nodded, keeping his eyes downcast. Phineas reached over and lay his hand on Clank's arm.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. _Maybe because you never tell him anything._ Phineas ignored his conscience.

Clank bit his lip and glanced up briefly. Phineas just stared with concern, waiting for an answer. "You got hurt." Clank said finally, his voice shaking. "You got hurt and it's all my fault."

"Clank…" Phineas breathed.

He pulled his arm away from Phineas "I tried to save you! I tried! I was too slow! I'm sorry! I should've let the scouts save you! They wouldn't've hurt you!" Clank sobbed.

"Clank, no." Phineas tried to get him to stop. _It's not your fault, Clank!_

"Now I can't fly. You're broken. I got us both crippled because I couldn't save you properly!" Clank continued.

"Clank, please…"

"I didn't mean to hurt you. I just acted without thinking! I'm so stupid, I can't do anything right!" Clank cried. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I just didn't want to lose you! What if I didn't get to you? What if the hawk caught you? I'm so"

In a swift motion, Phineas got to his feet, threw his arm around Clank's neck and pressed his lips to Clank's, effectively silencing him. He didn't even think about it. He slid his hand along Clank's neck and cupped his cheek. He pulled back slightly, and kissed him softly again before backing off. He leaned his forehead against Clank's, keeping his eyes shut while he caught his breath. His heart was pounding. _This definitely wasn't how I meant to do this._

He slowly withdrew and opened his eyes. Clank was staring at him with shock. He backed up and sat back down, feeling his face burn. Clank touched his lips and didn't tear his gaze away from Phineas.

 _Say something!_ His conscience screamed. He took a deep breath to calm down. "Clank, none of this is your fault. If I hadn't have run off you wouldn't have had to come save me. I understand that you probably blame yourself. I probably would do the same. But it's not your fault."

Clank lowered his hand. "You kissed me." He whispered.

"Aye, we can talk about that later." Phineas said. "This is more important. I need you to know that I don't blame you for my arm. I have no reason to blame you."

Clank bit his lip and looked like he was about to cry again. "Clank! Clank, look at me." Phineas said. "Look at me, what do you see?"

Clank looked up at him his breath shaking, then glanced at his arm. "I broke you." He breathed.

"Don't look at my arm." Phineas said. "Look at _me_. Now, what do you see?"

Clank stared. He shook his head. "I dunno… I just see you."

Phineas smiled. "Aye. You see me. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be here now. You saved my life, Clank. I would be dead right now if it weren't for you. I understand that you feel bad. But even if it were your fault, which it's not, I couldn't possibly be upset with you. I was able to wake up today and go about my day, something a lot of fairies take for granted, and it's because of you I could do it."

"But I dropped you. I broke your arm." Clank said.

"That was an accident." Phineas replied. "I don't fault you for that. Aye, it's unfortunate, but it's better than being dead. I just hope you're not upset with me. If I weren't such a coward then we wouldn't be in this mess."

Clank frowned. "You're not a coward."

"I am." Phineas sighed. "I'm too scared to talk to you… Even though I should know that I can trust you. But instead I ran away. I'm the reason you're injured, and I'm sorry."

"No…" Clank breathed. "No, it's not your fault. Please don't say it is. It's not your fault"

"It is, Clank." Phineas sighed. "The more I think about it, the more I realize I could have prevented this…" He noticed Clank starting to get upset again. "Tell you what, I'll agree that it wasn't my fault if you do the same."

"But…" Clank hesitated. "Okay." he said finally. Phineas could still see the sadness in his eyes, but at least he was starting to admit it was an accident. They could work on that later.

"How have you been feeling?" Phineas asked. "You've been avoiding me and I was worried that something was wrong and I couldn't help."

"I've… been incredibly stressed." Clank said "I've been so worried about you finding out I got hurt, and I keep getting flashes of that day in my head. I think I scared Lucinda a few times from my panic attacks."

Phineas chuckled slightly. "Hey, panic attacks are my thing. Why are you imitating me?" Clank grinned a little at his joke. "I understand what you mean though. I couldn't see anything that was happening, but I still remember vividly all the noise."

Clank fidgeted for a moment. "Why couldn't you see?"

"I was knocked down and hit my head on a rock. It would have been bad enough if it just broke my goggles, but my vision actually blacked out entirely." Phineas explained.

"So… things weren't just blurry? You actually couldn't see anything?" Clank asked.

"Aye, that's right. The last thing I saw was Dozer knocking me down. The first thing I saw when my vision started to come back was you protecting me." Phineas recalled.

"Dozer…?" Clank asked. He sounded less like he was going to cry and more like he wanted to break something in half.

"Aye. Dozer. He found me in that clearing and blinded me as soon as I noticed the hawk." Phineas explained.

"He could have killed you!" Clank yelled. "You could be dead now because of him!"

"I know, Clank." Phineas sighed.

"You told Fairy Mary, right?" Clank asked.

"No. You're the only one that knows." Phineas sighed. "He'd just make things worse for me if I said anything."

"Bobble, he tried to kill you! You really need to tell Fairy Mary." Clank said "And if you're too scared then I'll do it for you!"

"Clank, no!" Phineas said. "No. I just want this to go away. I don't want any more trouble. It's my own fault anyway. He wouldn't have had the chance to push me down if I had just stayed with you."

"Bobble!" Clank said firmly. "It doesn't matter that you didn't stay with me. He shouldn't have done that! You can't blame yourself for him attacking you! You have to tell Fairy Mary!"

Phineas looked away. "Clank, I can't…"

"Look at me." Clank said. Phineas glanced up at him. "Try to wrap your head around this. I've been hurting for the last two days. Not because of these cuts, but because I thought I hurt you. I thought it was my fault. And now you're telling me it was that rat Dozer? And you won't even do anything about it? You're just gonna let him get away with this?"

Phineas looked down at the floor. "Will you come with me when I tell her?"

Clank put his hand on his shoulder. "Of course I will." He smiled. "I gotta make sure you go through with it, right?"

Phineas laughed a little. "Aye, you know I'd probably chicken out."

"I don't want you to be scared of that bully. He's not worth it." Clank said and sat back down.

"You're right." Phineas said, standing up. "He's really not worth it. I'll talk to Fairy Mary in the morning. I'll be back in the morning to help you get ready and we can go see her together."

"Wait, you're leaving?" Clank asked.

"Aye, it's late." Phineas replied.

"But… You kissed me earlier. You said we would talk about that." Clank said.

Phineas swallowed. "I did say that didn't I?" He could feel his stomach knotting up and his cheeks burning. _You've already kissed him and he didn't throw you out. Stop being so scared at talk!_

"Clank… I…" he clenched his fist, closed his eyes tight and forced the words out. "I've had feelings for you for a long time. Very strong feelings. I don't know when or how it started but I do. And it became apparent very quickly that they aren't platonic. I really like you, Clank. I like everything about you. And I've been too scared to say anything. I was scared that if I told you that it would wreck our friendship, that you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore, that you would hate me. I couldn't risk that. You're too important to me to lose over these feelings. So I kept running every time I wanted to tell you, and because of that… because of my cowardice, you got hurt. Clank, I'm so sor…!"

Clank pressed a finger against Phineas's lips. He opened his eyes. Clank stood in front of him and stared evenly at him, thinking of what to say. "You know… These cuts don't hurt me one bit." He moved his hand to cup Phineas's cheek. "The fear of losing you is what's ached so much. I didn't realize how much I'd have lost that day if I hadn't gotten to you first. You mean so much more to me than a few scratches."

"Clanky, I…" Clank cut Phineas off, pressing his lips to Phineas's. He was shocked at first, but slowly melted into the passionate kiss. He reciprocated with every feeling he'd held back for months while Clank kissed back with the same level of emotion. They finally pulled back from each other, short of breath. A grin pulled at Clank's lips, while nervousness still clung to Phineas.

"Well, that's not quite how I imagined our first… I guess second kiss would be like." Clank said. "That was actually better."

Phineas just stared with his mouth agape. His face turned red as a cherry, and he couldn't find his voice to say anything.

"It's too bad I didn't realize sooner that this was what was bothering you for so long. It would've been such an easy fix, you know?" Clank said. "I thought you knew that I love you. I've been trying to show you that for a while now. Maybe it would've been easier if I just said something instead." He looked down at Phineas who was just frozen. "Bobble…? Was that too much…? I…"

Phineas threw his arms around Clank's neck, ignoring the ache in his right arm as he pulled it from the sling and kissed him again deeply. Clank wrapped his hands around Phineas's waist as he pulled back slightly "No, Clank…" he breathed. "That was perfect." He closed the distance again. He tangled his fingers in Clank's hair and parted his lips, allowing Clank to shoot his tongue out and tangle it with Phineas's. Clank slid his hand up Phineas's back and glided his fingers along his wings. Phineas gasped at the tingling sensation, throwing his head back. Clank took this opportunity to nuzzle Phineas's neck, trailing kisses down them, all the while tracing little circles on his wings.

"Clank!" Phineas gasped, he clung to Clank as if he'd disappear if he let go. Clank nibbled at his collar bone, while Phineas tugged his hair, heaving heavy breaths. His wings fluttered at Clank's touch. He couldn't believe this was happening. Clank pulled back slightly, breathing heavily as well. His breath was hot on Phineas's neck. He dropped his hand back to Phineas's waist and glanced up at him with a grin.

"Can't believe we didn't do this sooner." Clank whispered.

Phineas tried to think, his brain was swimming. "Like I said… I'm a coward…"

Clank smiled and brushed his lips against Phineas's neck again. "You're not a coward, Bobble." He whispered.

"Then why do I feel so nervous?" Phineas asked, a smile creeping on his face.

"I dunno, why do you feel nervous?" Clank asked, resting his chin on Phineas's shoulder.

"I'm a little scared that I'm dreaming again. That I'll wake up and still haven't told you how I feel." Phineas mumbled, burying his face in Clank's neck. "If this is a dream, please don't wake me up."

"If this is a dream…" Clank said "It's the first good one I've had since the accident."

Phineas pulled back. "What do you mean?"

Clank shook his head slightly. "I've been having nightmares lately." He looked up at Phineas. "Every time, I can't save you."

Phineas leaned in and kissed Clank softly again. "But you did save me." He said when he pulled back.

"I guess I just have to remind myself that." Clank sighed, leaning back against his table. Phineas let go of his neck and stepped back.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Phineas asked.

"I dunno, Bobble." Clank sighed. "Maybe coming to see me tonight will help. But I just dunno."

Phineas thought for a moment. "Do you think it might help if I stayed with you tonight?"

"Stay with me?" Clank asked. Phineas nodded. "I only have one bed…" he said, rubbing his neck.

"I don't see why we can't share." Phineas said.

Clank grinned slightly. "You sure you wanna do that? Doesn't that make you nervous?"

Phineas chuckled. "Well of course it does. But I want to help you. I really care about you, Clank."

"Okay then." Clank agreed. "I'd actually really like that."

Phineas smiled. The first real smile Clank had seen in a long time. "We should probably head to bed then, busy day tomorrow." He turned to head to Clank's bed. Clank came up behind him and wrapped his arms around him, nuzzling his neck again.

"It's good to see you smile again." Clank whispered in his ear. "I've really missed that."

Phineas laughed, laying his arms over Clank's "It feels good to smile again, Clanky." Clank pulled at Phineas's tool belt. "What are you doing?"

"You're not wearing that in my bed." Clank mumbled, pulling the belt off of him. He pulled back and untied the sling as well. "This either."

"Well thank you, Clank. I can take those off myself you know." Phineas smirked, rolling his eyed.

"I know, Bobble. But I wanted to." Clank said, hanging the sling and belt on his bed post before sitting down. He pat the bed beside him, inviting Phineas to join him.

"Don't you need to wrap up your back first?" Phineas asked.

Clank shook his head. "I'm allowed to keep the bandages off at night. Good thing too. They aren't comfortable."

Phineas shook his head with a grin. "Alright then." He sat down beside Clank who reached up and removed his goggles and hung them with the sling and belt. They lay down, and Clank draped his arm over Phineas's side as he curled into Clank's chest. "Can I ask you something?" Phineas asked quietly.

"What is it, Bobble?"

"How long have you had feelings for me?" Phineas asked staring up at Clank.

"I dunno to be honest." Clank shrugged. "I feel like I just always have. I did a lot of stuff to try and show you how I felt about you. I made the goggles, the first revelry pod, went exploring with you and tried my best to help you when you were struggling with your feelings for me." He sighed. "It's funny. I said some stuff to our friends once about all the stuff I'd do for you. One of them almost happened."

"What's that?" Phineas asked.

"Get my wings torn out." Clank sighed.

"Why would you say that?" Phineas gasped.

"Well, it was a bad day for you. You felt all embarrassed about me seeing you naked and didn't want to talk to me. I felt bad. The girls knew right away too since I wasn't calling you…" Clank gasped. "Oh no! Phineas, I'm sorry."

Phineas blinked. "What?"

"I've been calling you Bobble all night and I know you hate that. I'm so sorry."

Phineas stroked Clank's cheek and lightly kissed him again. "I've missed you calling me Bobble. 'Phineas' never sounded quite right when you said it. I shouldn't have asked you to call me that."

Clank grinned and ran his fingers through Phineas's hair. "So you want me to call you Bobble?"

"Aye, call me Bobble." He said.

"You're so ridiculous some times." Clank said, curling his arm around Bobble again as he smiled back sheepishly.

"I know." Bobble sighed happily. "But now we should get some rest."

"Yeah." Clank agreed. "Good night, Bobble."

Bobble closed his eyes and smiled. "Good night, Clank."


	18. Trial

Bobble had no idea what time it was when he started to wake up. He didn't want to open his eyes yet, and just wanted to stay in bed. "Please let it be real." He whispered to himself. "I don't want it to be a dream." He held his breath and lay perfectly still. He smiled as he listened to Clank breathing beside him. He still had his arm draped over Bobble, holding him close to his chest. _I hope I never wake up from this._

The room was still dark, and Bobble didn't know when the sun would rise. He hoped it wouldn't be for a while. He wanted to lay with Clank for a while longer. He curled in closer to him, enjoying his warmth while he played the previous night through his head for the umpteenth time. He remembered back to the morning after the Revelry, how he and Clank fell asleep on the beach, and how Clank had latched onto him that morning in his sleep. Bobble laughed silently. How different would that morning have gone if they had known then how they felt now.

Clank whimpered. Bobble looked up at Clank's distressed expression. "Clank…" Bobble breathed and reached up to stroke his cheek. Clank tightened his arm around Bobble, his breath shaking. "Clank, wake up." Bobble said softly.

"B…Bobble…. No… no…!" Clank mumbled in his sleep.

Bobble held the side of Clank's face. "Clank, wake up." Bobble said a little louder. "You're having a nightmare. Wake up." He tried to shake him. Clank let go and rolled to his back. Bobble pushed himself up and leaned over Clank. He looked to be in pain, and was starting to breathe faster. Bobble clenched his teeth and shook Clank.

His eyes shot open, startling Bobble. Clank panted as he became aware of his surroundings. His eyes locked onto Bobble, and he sat up, throwing his arms around him. "Bobble…" he cried. "You're okay… you're okay…"

"Ouch! Careful Clank." Bobble said, adjusting his arm. He rubbed the back of Clank's neck. "You're okay now. I'm right here. You're okay, Clanky." Clank buried his face in Bobble's shoulder and hugged him tight. Bobble stroked his hair until he calmed down. Finally Clank loosened his hold and leaned back.

Bobble cupped his cheek. "That sounded pretty bad. Are you alright?"

Clank nodded. "I think so… My back hurts…" he sniffled and wiped his eyes. "You got eaten this time. Torn apart and eaten."

"It was just a dream, Clank." Bobble said. "I wasn't torn apart. I wasn't eaten. I'm right here because _you_ saved me."

Clank smiled slightly "I just wish I'd stop seeing you die."

"I'm sure the nightmares will fade eventually." Bobble said. "In the meantime I'll just keep reminding you everything is okay when you wake up."

Clank sighed with a grin, then leaned forward and kissed Bobble. "Thank you." He said when he pulled back.

Bobble could feel the blush on his cheeks. "You're welcome." He said. Clank pulled Bobble into a hug and lay back down, taking Bobble with him.

"The sun won't be up for a bit." He said. "I see no reason why we can't lay here a little longer."

Bobble chuckled. "I'm fine with that, except let me put my goggles on." He reached over and grabbed the goggles and Clank helped him put them on. He lay back down once he could see again.

"Did you sleep okay?" Clank asked once Bobble was settled.

"Aye." He replied. "Thank you for letting me stay."

"Well, thank you for staying." Clank replied. "I just hope my nightmare didn't wake you."

Bobble shook his head. "I was already awake when you started panicking."

"Oh. Why'd you wake up so early?" Clank asked.

"It's become a habit, really." Bobble shrugged. "I normally spend the mornings making sure I'm calm before you show up."

Clank snickered "You put so much effort into hiding from me. It would've been so much easier if you'd just said something."

"Well I know that _now_ " Bobble rolled his eyes. "I told you last night that I'm a coward."

"Well, coward or not. I'm glad you finally told me." Clank said. "I'm pretty stupid for not noticing, really."

"You're not stupid." Bobble said.

"I can be." Clank said. "I mess up a lot, you know."

"So? I mess up a lot too. Everyone does. That doesn't make you stupid." Bobble pointed out. "I for one think you have a brilliant mind and are capable of anything you set it to."

"Well I'm glad you think so highly of me." Clank grinned.

They lay together making idle chit chat for about an hour before Clank sat up again and went to his table. Bobble followed to help with the treatment and bandages.

"Fairy Mary ought to be here soon." Clank said.

"Fairy Mary?"

"Yeah, she's been helping me with my back since we got hurt." Clank said.

"Lucinda's been helping me in the morning. But now that I know your secret," Bobble said, poking Clank between two of his cuts, making him jump slightly. "You can help me, and I can help you. I figure that's more efficient."

"Right, so Fairy Mary can get to work quicker and keep everyone organized." Clank said.

"And Lucinda can get to procrastinating." Bobble smiled.

"She's actually been working at your station and helping me." Clank said.

"She has?"

"Well, more like telling me when I've been working too hard or something. I didn't really pay attention to what she was doing." Clank shrugged. "I just assumed it was working."

"That's quite a change for her." Bobble said. "I hope she gives my station back when my arm's healed."

"I'm sure she will." Clank said. Bobble began on the third cut, and something dawned on Clank. "Fairy Mary never came by last night."

"She didn't?"

"No," Clank said. "Remember, you treated my back, and she never showed up."

"It's probably for the best that she didn't." Bobble grinned slightly. "Can you imagine what she would have said if she saw us last night?"

"I'd imagine she would be glad I finally spoke to you." Clank sighed, still feeling slightly guilty for avoiding Bobble.

Bobble smirked. "Well I think she'd have a few choice words about you sticking your tongue in my mouth."

Clank blushed. "I didn't even think of that." He mumbled "Do you think she'd be mad?"

"I'm not sure," Bobble said, working on the last cut. He remembered his talk with Scribble. "Though we might want to be careful about who we tell."

"Why's that?" Clank asked.

"Well, I'm not sure you've noticed but couples aren't very public, and Scribble told me it's because it becomes a distraction to their work." Bobble explained. "I'm worried that if Fairy Mary found out that we're together that she might separate us at work."

Clank grinned a little "Can you say that again?"

"What? That she might separate us?" Bobble asked

"No, before that." Clank said.

"Romance is a distraction?"

"No no no! not the negative stuff." Clank shook his head. "Say that we're together."

Bobble felt warmth in his chest. "I'm still wrapping my head around it." He said. "But aye, we are together now. I'm very happy to have you as my… as my boyfriend."

Despite the irritation from the ointment, Clank smiled. "It's incredible. I was beginning to wonder if it would ever happen." He turned to Bobble when he finished up the last cut. "Do you really think she would separate us?"

"I'm not sure." Bobble shrugged. "Maybe… if our relationship starts getting in the way of working."

"I don't think it will." Clank waved off as he grabbed his bandages.

"But it already has, Clanky." Bobble said seriously. "All my stress, you avoiding me, our injuries… they're all because of our feelings for each other."

"That shouldn't count though." Clank argued. "We weren't together yet. I think now that we are, it'll be better. We'll both feel better and we'll be able to work better too."

Bobble began wrapping the bandages around Clank. "I hope you're right."

"I still think it's odd though." Clank said "Why didn't Fairy Mary come here last night?"

"I actually saw her before I came here." Bobble said. "She intervened at dinner when Dozer was giving me a hard time. Maybe she was busy with him and forgot to come here."

"You still need to tell her what Dozer did to you." Clank said seriously.

"I know, Clank." Bobble sighed. "When she gets here, I'll tell her."

Just as Bobble finished wrapping up Clank's bandages, there was a knock on the door. "I'll let her in." Bobble said.

"Wait," Clank grabbed him and kissed his cheek. "Since apparently I can't do that in front of her now."

Bobble laughed and went to open the door.

"Good morning, Phineas." He was shocked to see not Fairy Mary, but the leader of the Dust Keepers, Fairy Gary.

"Good morning, sir." Bobble said, confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Fairy Mary sent me to find you both." Fairy Gary replied.

"Are we late?" Bobble asked. He looked outside, and figured there was no way he and Clank were running late. The sun was only just beginning to rise.

"Why aren't you with the other Dust Keepers?" Clank asked.

"Mary and I have been dealing with a situation all night. You both are needed at the Pixie Dust Tree." Fairy Gary explained, which only left them with more questions.

"What situation?" Clank asked.

"Is everything okay?" Bobble asked.

"We'll explain when we get there." Fairy Gary replied as he waited for them to finish getting dressed. "Clank, I'm aware you're unable to fly at this time, so I'll assist you."

"I'll help too." Bobble said as he slipped his arm into his sling.

"Bobble, no, I'm too heavy." Clank argued.

"Nonsense." Bobble said. "I'm strong enough to help you fly. Besides, it's not like I'm carrying you alone."

"If you two are quite finished, we really need to get going." Fairy Gary said impatiently.

They carried Clank to the Tree, Fairy Gary on his left and Bobble on his right. They asked Fairy Gary no more questions about what was going on, and Bobble felt a tightness in his chest as he wondered why they would be needed right now. Usually it was only Dust Keepers and the ministers of the seasons who were with the Tree. Bobble remembered years ago when Queen Clarion found him by the Dust Well. Maybe she needed them? But why? Were they in trouble for something?

"Are you okay?" Clank whispered to him.

Bobble nodded. Apparently his concerns showed on his face. "I'm fine." He replied. "I just don't know what's going on."

"It'll be okay." Clank whispered, squeezing him slightly.

They landed on the Arrival Platform and Clank let go of his escorts. On the opposite side of the Platform, Fairy Mary was speaking with Queen Clarion. Bobble thought he saw someone behind them but couldn't tell who it was.

Queen Clarion turned to them a moment later. "Thank you for coming, boys." She greeted warmly as Bobble, Clank and Fairy Gary approached her. "I'm sure you're wondering why we've asked you here."

Bobble swallowed. "Aye, we're not exactly sure what's happening."

"We just wanted to ask about the incident the other day and clear a few things up." Fairy Mary said. Bobble could now see around her. His eyes widened at Dozer who sat stoic on a branch.

"What… What about it?" Bobble asked nervously.

"We'd like to know what happened exactly." Queen Clarion said. "We're a little vague on the details, Phineas."

Bobble glanced at Dozer who glared at him and shook his head slowly. Bobble could practically hear him thinking " _Don't you dare tell them anything._ " He felt the blood drain from his face as his heart began to race. He felt so terrified just then.

"Phineas," The queen said. "Could you please tell us what happened?"

"I…" Bobble tried to speak. "Um…" The words wouldn't come out. His throat felt tight. He started to shake. He'd never been this scared of Dozer before. _He tried to kill me._ He tried to say. _He pushed me down and left me for dead._ "I… don't know…" he said, barely more than a whisper.

"Bobble…" Clank held his shoulders. Behind Fairy Mary, Dozer smirked. Clank glared at him. "Don't be scared of him. He can't do anything to you." Clank whispered.

"I can't…" Bobble breathed.

"Clank, you were there that day. Can you tell us what you saw?" Clarion said gently.

Clank looked from Bobble to Queen Clarion. "We just got back from a delivery and Bobble wasn't feeling well and went to clear his head." Clank explained. "I heard the hawk and went to make sure he was alright." Bobble could see Clank's anger towards Dozer flaring. He wondered what Clank might actually say.

"Go on." Clarion urged.

Clank took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "When I found him he was stumbling around like he couldn't see. I knew he couldn't find shelter so I went after him, and well… You know how well that went." He explained. "I only found out last night that Bobble actually couldn't see at all."

"And why couldn't you see, Phineas?" Fairy Mary asked.

"He's never been able to see." Dozer grumbled.

"No one was speaking to you, Dozer." Fairy Gary said. Dozer shut his mouth and looked subdued.

That was when Bobble realized he was safe. He could say what had happened and there was nothing Dozer could do to hurt him. "I couldn't see because I hit my head on a rock. It blacked out my sight completely and I didn't know where I was." Bobble explained. "As Clank said I went to clear my head, and Dozer found me and began shouting at me. I heard the hawk and then he pushed me down. That's when I hit my head."

"I see." Clarion said.

"That's a lie! I never touched him!" Dozer shouted.

Fairy Gary grabbed his arm. "I suggest you keep your mouth shut."

Dozer pulled his arm away. "He's lying! That little rat's always been trying to make things difficult for me! He's just trying to blame me for his own incompetence! He _always_ does this!"

"You be quiet!" Fairy Gary boomed. Dozer shrank back again.

"Queen Clarion," Fairy Mary said, not looking at Dozer. "His story matches the other report I received on the incident."

"I know." Queen Clarion said seriously. She then turned to Bobble. "Have you and Dozer had problems with each other in the past?"

"Aye, but never to this extreme." Bobble replied. "He's always had a tendency to harass me about my work and my sight."

"And he's been trying to keep us from being friends since I arrived." Clank chimed in. Dozer looked like he wanted to argue that point as well, but Fairy Gary gave him a stern look, keeping him silent.

Bobble sighed. "I always try to avoid Dozer, because he's never had a kind word for me unless it was accompanied with sarcasm or an insult. But I never expected him to actually attack me. I didn't know he hated me that much."

"I didn't attack you!" Dozer yelled.

"Hush!" Fairy Gary silenced Dozer again.

"When you two were arguing last night, you actually lunged at Dozer first. Tell me about that." Fairy Mary said.

"Well," Bobble took a deep breath. "I was just having supper with my friends, and he interrupted with rude comments and began saying things about Clank here deciding he didn't want to be my friend anymore, and how he wouldn't be around anymore to rescue me. I don't know… I got angry and acted without thinking."

"See? He attacked _me!"_ Dozer shouted.

"You attacked him first!" Clank argued.

"Shut it you snailbrain!" Dozer snapped back

"That's enough!" Clarion cut in. "Dozer, there is no excuse for this kind of behavior. What Phineas has told us matches what we were told last night. I've been aware of your attitude towards him for a long time now, and to think you would go so far as to try and end his life. I cannot let this go unpunished."

Dozer clenched his teeth. "What report?" he growled. "Nobody else was there except…" he shot a look at Bobble. Before anyone could react, Dozer tackled Bobble to the ground and started beating him. He slammed Bobble's head against the ground, breaking the strap of his goggles and punched him in the face.

"Dozer! Stop right now!" Clarion ordered, but her words fell on deaf ears as Dozer kept hitting Bobble, who cried for help.

"You pathetic whelp! You fabricated all of this didn't you? Just to get me in trouble! You've been nothing but a burden! Why won't you just disappear?!" Dozer shouted. Clank grabbed Dozer and tried to pull him off Bobble, but Dozer had his hands curled around Bobble's throat.

"Get off him!" Clank yelled, pulling Dozer back while Bobble tried to pry his hands off, unable to even gasp. Fairy Gary tried to pry Dozer off as well but Dozer jerked his elbow and struck Gary in his nose. Fairy Mary joined the group, trying to free Bobble from Dozer who was blind with fury. In the chaos, none of them noticed Queen Clarion signal to someone above.

"Everyone get back." Queen Clarion said. Fairy Mary and Gary looked up and backed off. Clank looked up just in time to be surrounded by a cloud of purple mist. Two scout fairies, Fury and Nyx floated down to the platform, just outside the cloud of nightshade with Queen Clarion, Fairy Mary and Gary.

"I'm sorry, Queen Clarion." Nyx said. "We couldn't wait for Clank to move."

Queen Clarion nodded as the nightshade began to clear. "You did what you had to do." She said.

"But the nightshade…" Fairy Mary said. "Phineas… Clank…"

"I'm sure they'll be fine, Mary." Fairy Gary said. "The scouts know what they're doing."

But as the mist cleared, everyone could see that all three Tinkers were unconscious. Fairy Mary gasped, and ran to her charges.


	19. Surreal

Clank woke up coughing and with a burning sensation in his lungs. He was really disoriented and had no idea where he was or how he got there. He sat up, trying to figure out what happened, his head aching horribly.

"Hello?" he called out before coughing again. Everything was foggy. He couldn't see a thing. Was this how Bobble always felt? He felt a tightness in his chest. "Bobble!" he called out.

"Oh good you're awake." A woman's voice said.

"Who are you? Where am I? What happened?" Clank asked. "Where's Bobble?"

The voice laughed lightly. "I'm Clara, you're in the infirmary, you breathed in Nightshade, and your friend is on the other side of the room. He's asleep right now."

"Nightshade…?" Clank asked. He never remembered hearing about that.

"It's what the scouts use against predators." Clara explained. "Though it doesn't do any permanent damage. You should be fine soon enough. But as for Mr. Kettletree."

"What happened? Is he okay?" Clank asked.

"He'll be fine." Clara assured him. "But he took quite a beating and needs to rest."

Clank started to remember what had happened. The Tree, the Queen, the purple cloud and Dozer. "Is Dozer here too?" he asked sourly.

Clara was quiet for a moment. "No. He isn't here."

"What happened to him?" Clank asked.

"Let's say for now that he won't be causing any more trouble." A different voice said.

"Fairy Mary? Is that you?" Clank asked.

"Yes dear." Fairy Mary said. "How are you feeling?"

Clank coughed a bit more. "It hurts to breathe." He admitted. Someone small threw their arms around him.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Said a new voice.

"Lucinda?" Clank asked.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you guys." She said.

"I'll leave you three alone." Clara said. When she was gone, Lucinda turned back to Clank.

"I really should have said something sooner. I just thought that Phineas would say something. But nobody seemed to know what happened so…"

"Wait, you told Fairy Mary?" Clank asked.

"Yes," Fairy Mary said. She sounded further away. She was probably over by Bobble. "She came to me yesterday afternoon and told me everything."

"I'm so sorry Clank." Lucinda said. "I saw Dozer push Phineas down. I saw Dozer leave him there. I saw you save Phineas. I was too scared to do anything but you were so brave."

Clank tried to put his hand on her shoulder but missed. "It's okay, Lucinda… Where are you…?" she laughed and took his hand. "Thank you. We're all okay, so no harm done, right?"

"Right." Lucinda sighed, squeezing Clank's hand. "So how long have you been awake?"

"Not long." Clank answered. "How long was I out?"

"About half a day." Fairy Mary answered, sounding closer now. "I expected you to be out longer seeing as how you were directly exposed to that poison."

Clank chuckled "Well I can't exactly say I feel that great right now."

"Take all the time you need to feel better, Clank." Fairy Mary said. "After this morning I wouldn't expect you to be up for working for a while. Lucinda, let me know when Phineas wakes up. I'll be with Fairy Gary."

"Yes Ma'am." Lucinda replied. She turned back to Clank to see him trying to get off his cot while feeling around for something to grab onto. "Hey, wait! You really should rest Clank." She said, trying to make him sit back down.

"I want to be next to Bobble." Clank replied, blinking in an attempt to clear his vision.

"He's fine, Clank." Lucinda insisted. "Don't worry about him. You need to stay put until the nightshade wears off."

"Lucinda, please." Clank sighed, "I've nearly lost him twice in the span of four days. Can you please just bring me closer to him?"

Lucinda hesitated. "Yeah. Okay." she finally said, taking Clank's hand and guiding him to the other side of the room. "But only if you actually talk to him when he wakes up."

"About what?" Clank asked

"Well duh, about how you've been too scared to talk to him for nearly four days." Lucinda rolled her eyes.

Clank laughed. "I wouldn't worry about it, Lucinda. We talked last night. He knows everything."

"Really?" Lucinda asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah." Clank sat carefully beside Bobble and lay his hand on his chest. "He's okay, right?"

"Well, he will be." Lucinda said. She took Clank's hand again and guided his fingers along Bobble's skin. "he's got bruises on his chest, and here on his neck. And a couple on his face too." Clank jerked his hand back when he felt Bobble's face.

"Where's his goggles?" he asked. "He can't see without them. Where are they?"

"Clank! Clank, relax." Lucinda said. "They broke when Dozer attacked him." she took clank's hands again and placed the broken goggles in them. "I was going to mend them, but…"

"I'll do it." Clank said.

"But you can't see." Lucinda protested.

"I don't care. I made them in the first place, I'll fix them when I can see." Clank said firmly.

Lucinda wasn't sure what to say to that. She looked from Clank holding the goggles to Bobble, still asleep on the cot. "Y'know. I'm glad you care about him as much as you do." She said. "He hasn't exactly had it easy. So I'm glad he has such a good friend like you."

Clank grinned. "I dunno what I'd do without Bobble." He reached felt around for Bobble's hand and carefully held it when he found his broken arm. "I love him so much."

"You what?" Lucinda gawked.

"What?"

"You said you love him." Lucinda said.

"Oh. Um." Clank stammered. "I didn't mean to say that. I mean, I do love him. Wait. What I mean is… We're friends. Well more than friends really. But… uh... I just…" He wasn't sure how to explain.

"Does he know?" Lucinda asked

Clank paused. "Yes. He does." He sighed.

"And what does he have to say about it?" Lucinda asked. All Clank did was grin and Lucinda knew the answer. "That's great Clank. I'm happy for you both."

"Don't tell anyone, okay?" Clank said

"I won't." Lucinda smiled. "Your secret's safe with me."

Clank sat beside Bobble for about an hour while Lucinda napped in the corner. He was starting to be able to see fuzzy shapes around him, including the broken goggles which he started to mend. The more his vision cleared, the more he found himself staring at the bruises. Dark purple spots were visible beneath his shirt, as well as a reddish bruise under his eye and one on his cheek. But what bothered Clank the most were the marks on Bobble's neck from where Dozer had his hands.

With his heart aching slightly, Clank set the goggles aside and gently ran his fingers over Bobble's neck. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." He whispered as he let his fingertips glide along the bruises.

"That tickles…" Bobble mumbled.

"Bobble?" Clank cupped his cheek.

"Hey there Clanky." Bobble said hoarsely as he opened his eyes.

Clank pulled him into a hug. "Bobble! I'm so glad you're okay." he said tearing up slightly. Bobble buried his face in Clank's shoulder and stifled a cough.

"Where are we?" Bobble asked wearily as Clank rubbed his back.

"This is the infirmary." Lucinda said sleepily.

"Really?" Bobble asked. "What happened?" he groaned and held his head as he leaned back from Clank.

"I think I'll let Fairy Mary explain." Lucinda said. "I'll be back in a bit. Are you two okay here?"

"We're good." Clank assured her.

"Alright. Be back in a flash." Lucinda said before flying out of the room.

"Clank…" Bobble groaned. "What happened to Dozer?"

"I don't know." Clank sighed. "But Fairy Mary said earlier that he won't hurt you again."

"That's good I guess." Bobble mumbled. "Not sure what she can do to prevent it. He's always had it out for me."

Clank stared at Bobble. Things still looked fuzzy but he could still see that Bobble was upset. He held the side of Bobble's face, making him look up at him. Clank gently kissed Bobble and said. "If he ever comes near you again I'll break him in half."

Bobble smiled weakly. He knew Clank would never hurt anyone but knew he would do whatever it took to keep Dozer away from him. He curled his arm around Clank's neck and pressed his lips to Clank's. Clank lay Bobble back down, softly returning the kiss and gliding his hands down Bobble's sides. He pulled back slightly "I almost lost you again." He whispered before catching Bobble's lips again.

Bobble clung to him, feeling like he couldn't get close enough to Clank. He was so exhausted and sore, yet he still found the strength to pull Clank to him. He combed his fingers through Clank's hair and breathed in his scent.

"Ahem" someone coughed. Clank immediately sat up, leaving Bobble on the cot red in the face. "Sorry to interrupt. I was hoping to examine Mr. Kettletree before Fairy Mary got back." Clara said.

"I'm sorry." Clank said, moving away from Bobble as Clara went to check him.

"It's alright Clank." She said. "How are you feeling Mr. Kettletree?"

"Embarrassed." Bobble muttered.

Clara chuckled. "Mr. Kettletree, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. Now, really, how do you feel?"

Bobble slowly sat up. "My neck hurts. And my chest…"

"Yes, that's to be expected." Clara said. "You were lucky he didn't harm you worse. But those bruises should heal in a week or two. They'll be gone before your arm heals."

"That's good." Bobble sighed.

"Are you having any discomfort when you breathe?"

"It stings a little bit." Bobble answered.

"That would be the nightshade. You must have breathed some in after all." Clara said. She tilted his head back, examining his neck more closely.

"Good thing you didn't breathe in more." Clank said. "It burns really bad."

"How are your eyes?" Clara asked.

"Fine I suppose." Bobble said. "I can't see, but that's nothing new."

Clara examined his eyes. "I don't see anything wrong with them. You must have had them shut, so theres nothing wrong apart from your usual vision problems."

"Well that's good to know." Bobble sighed. "Where are my goggles?"

"They broke." Clank said. "I was trying to fix them, but I can't see either."

"Another side effect of the Nightshade." Clara explained. "He'll be fine by the end of the day."

Bobble glanced over at the blurry form of Clank. "Thank you, Clank."

"What for?" he asked.

"For protecting me."

Clank sighed. "I didn't do a very good job."

"Clank, Phineas is alive and that's what's important." Clara said.

"That's right." A gruff voice said. "You're both alright. And you're both safe."

"Fairy Gary?" Bobble turned towards the voice.

"Hello, Phineas." He answered.

"How's your nose?" Clara moved from Bobble to Fairy Gary as Lucinda and Fairy Mary followed him into the room.

"I'm fine Clara." He said gruffly.

Fairy Mary went to Bobble and carefully held his shoulders. "How are you feeling Phineas?" she asked softly.

"I'm sore, but I'll be alright." He answered. Mary sighed and pat his shoulder. "Fairy Mary, what happened to Dozer?"

Her breath caught in her chest. Silence fell through the whole room.

"What happened?" Clank asked.

Fairy Mary heaved a sigh. "Dozer is gone." She said finally.

Bobble and Clank glanced at each other. "Gone?" they said in unison.

"Yes." Fairy Mary replied. "He's gone and he won't be coming back."

"You mean he's…" Clank swallowed. "Dead?"

"No." Fairy Gary said. "But he's been banished."

"Banished?" the boys said.

"Yes." Fairy Mary said solemnly. "He can't harm either of you anymore. He's been taken somewhere far away with very little Pixie Dust, so he won't be able to return."

"But," Bobble hesitated a moment. "But Fairy Mary, he'll die out there."

"It's entirely possible, yes." Fairy Mary agreed.

"Dozer was out of control. He tried to end your life twice, Phineas." Fairy Gary explained. "Queen Clarion does not tolerate that kind of vicious behavior. What's important here is that you're safe."

Bobble held his head in his hand. Clank kept his mouth covered in shock. Dozer really wasn't coming back? He was gone for good? He was horrible, yes. But Bobble never wished banishment on him.

"This is all my fault." He mumbled.

"Phineas, this isn't your fault." Fairy Mary said. "Dozer has had problems with his anger since before you arrived here. I've just never seen it escalate like this. It will be better for everyone now that he's gone." Bobble could tell by the tone of Fairy Mary's voice that she was deeply hurt by this. She cared equally for all her workers, and now one was gone.

"Mary…" Fairy Gary gently lay a hand on her shoulder. "We should leave them be. Let them process this."

Fairy Mary nodded. "Right." She turned to the boys and Lucinda. "It's been a trying day for all of you. I don't want any of you working if you feel you aren't up for the task. Lucinda, do not use this as an excuse to laze about. I want you back to work as soon as you're capable of doing so."

"Yes Fairy Mary." She replied quietly.

"Good." Fairy Mary nodded curtly. "Boys, I want you both to take it easy until your wounds are healed. I'll check back with you later."

"Alright." Clank said.

Fairy Gary led Fairy Mary from the room, Lucinda hovered for a moment before heading to the waiting area while Clara resumed examining Bobble. Clank refused to leave the room and tried to fix Bobble's goggles while he waited.

"You're going to be sore for a few days." Clara said. "You need to rest, but you're going to be alright."

Bobble didn't say anything, but Clank sighed. "That's good to hear. Right Bobble?"

Bobble nodded. "Aye, that's good news." He sounded far away. "Can we go home now?"

"If you feel like you can make it there, then yes. But like I said, take it easy." Clara replied. Bobble got to his feet, followed by Clank who hadn't quite gotten the strap of the goggles mended yet. Clara spoke up once more when they were almost out the door. "I'm sure you'll do this anyway, but please, take care of each other."

"We will." Clank said, following Bobble from the room. They went out to the waiting area where Lucinda was.

"Ready to head back?" She asked. Bobble nodded. "You sure? You still look exhausted."

"I'm fine." Bobble sighed.

"Let's just go." Clank mumbled. Lucinda shrugged and led the way back. Bobble shuffled slowly, and Clank had a few bouts of coughing, but eventually they made it back to Tinker's Nook. Tinkers were scurrying everywhere. Bobble could hear a few asking where Fairy Mary was. Bobble wondered if she had been there at all since yesterday. He started to stagger towards his house when one of the workers flew up to him.

"There you are, Phineas!" she said. "We've been wondering where you were."

Bobble stared a moment before recognizing the fairy. "Thimble… Sorry… It's been a long day." He said weakly.

"What happened to you?" Thimble asked.

"It's a long story." Bobble replied.

"Oh. Well, do you have the list for deliveries? There was a short one posted this morning that we were following, but we've finished that one." Thimble said.

Bobble just stared. He was too tired to contemplate what she was asking. "Hey, Thimble." Clank spoke up. "We've all had a pretty bad morning…"

"I don't have it…" Bobble said.

"Huh?"

"I don't have the list…" Bobble said.

"Oh, well. No worries. I'm sure we can figure it out." Thimble said.

"Wait!" Bobble called after her. "I can still figure out…" Lucinda pulled Bobble back before he could follow Lucinda.

"No, Phineas. You need to rest." She said.

"We'll take care of it!" Thimble said. "Hope you feel better!"

Bobble groaned and rubbed his temple. Clank put his hand on his back. "Lucinda, I'm gonna take him home." Clank said. "We'll see you later."

Lucinda smiled softly. "Okay. See you guys." She flew off and Clank began guiding Bobble to his house. Once they were inside Bobble all but collapsed in bed.

"I can't believe this." He mumbled. "Is this really happening? Or is this another crazy dream?"

Clank sat at the table and continued fixing the goggles. "I think we're awake… but I can hardly believe it either. I never thought it would come to this."

"He got knocked out too, right?" Bobble asked.

"I think so." Clank said, tugging on the band to make sure it was secure. "I think the scouts aimed it at him, so he probably got it worse than either of us."

Bobble stared at the wall in silence for a while. "I wonder if he's awake yet."

Clank stood up and brought the goggles to Bobble. "Do you want these on, or are you gonna take a nap?"

Bobble sat up. "I'll wear them." There was a soft knock at the door while Clank pulled the goggles onto Bobble.

"Come in." Bobble called. The door opened and Rosetta and Fawn floated in.

"Hey guys!" Fawn greeted. "Haven't seen you all day. Good to finally see _you_ again Clank."

"Huh?" Clank wasn't sure what she meant.

"We haven't seen you since the Hawk incident." Rosetta said. "You doin' okay, sugar?"

"I'm fine." Clank nodded.

"That's good." Rosetta said. "Well we were just about to head out and get some supper, thought you two'd like to join us."

"Phin!" Fawn gasped, startling Rosetta. "What happened to you?" she brushed past Clank and hugged Bobble. Rosetta took a good look at him and noticed the bruises.

"Phineas…" Rosetta rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I really don't want to talk about it." Bobble mumbled.

"C'mon, Phin!" Fawn urged. "This looks bad, I gotta know what happened to you."

"We could tell you over dinner." Clank suggested. "That way we could tell everyone at once."

"Good idea." Rosetta said. "Let's go then."

"Actually, Ro?" Bobble piped up. "Could you and the girls bring dinner here? I don't want to get up and Clank can't fly anyway."

"He can't?" Rosetta looked at Clank, who shrugged and nodded. "Alright. We'll be back in a bit."

A short while later, they returned with supper and Silvermist and Iridessa. While they ate, Clank confessed what had happened to his back and how wracked with guilt he had been about injuring Bobble. Then they both explained Dozer's involvement in the incident and the events of that morning and how they'd been unconscious most of the day.

"That's just awful!" Iridessa exclaimed.

"That jerk! If he were still here I'd feed him to a snake!" Fawn grumbled.

"He's a real piece of work." Rosetta huffed.

"Aye, but he's gone now." Bobble sighed.

"Thank goodness for that." Silvermist sighed. "I couldn't stand much more of how badly he treats you."

"Me either." Clank agreed.

"It's going to be weird without him here though." Bobble sighed. "after nearly six years, I'm not sure what I'm going to do now that he's gone."

"Maybe relax for once?" Fawn suggested. Sil and Dess both giggled, but Bobble just stared down at his plate. Clank held his shoulder in an effort to comfort him.

"Hey girls?" Rosetta said. "I think it's best we leave them be now. It's been a hard day for 'em"

"Aw, but it feels like we just got here!" Fawn complained.

"I'd just like to go to sleep." Bobble said. "So, sorry. Everyone out."

"We'll see you all soon." Clank said. As the girls filed out, Bobble remembered something.

"Rosetta, wait a minute."

"What is it?" she asked.

"Clank's medicine is at his house, do you think you could get it for us?" Bobble asked.

"Of course, I'll be back in a flash." Rosetta said before flying off towards Clank's house.

"I hope that was okay." Bobble said. "I really want you to stay tonight."

Clank brushed Bobble's bangs from his forehead. "It's fine, Bobble. I want to stay."

Bobble leaned his head on Clank's shoulder. "Thank you, Clank. I don't think I could handle this alone."

"You don't have to." Clank assured him. "You don't have to do anything alone ever again."

Bobble wrapped his arm around Clank and hugged him tightly while Clank rubbed his back.

Rosetta returned a moment later. "So I take it you told him?" she asked as they pulled away from each other.

"Told me what?" Clank asked.

Bobble took Clank's hand. "Yes, I told him."

Rosetta smiled wide, setting the medicine on the table. "Good." She said, heading out the door. "I'll give you some privacy then. Good night."


	20. Sleepless Night (NSFW)

Bobble woke with a start, sitting up immediately. He held his right hand to his chest, trying to calm his heart as images of a nightmare hung in his mind. The room was still dark, moonlight shining in through the open window. He rubbed his eyes and looked to where Clank had been when he fell asleep, but found the other half of the bed empty.

"Clank?" Bobble's eyes darted around, trying to spot his boyfriend. He grabbed his goggles hastily. "Clank, where are you?" his voice cracked with panic.

"I'm over here." Clank replied from across the room. Bobble heaved a sigh of relief and hovered across the room to where Clank sat at the table. He held his head in his hands, his hair fell like curtains on either side of his face. Bobble could tell by the way his wings drooped against his back that he was troubled too.

"I suppose we're both plagued with nightmares now, aren't we?" Bobble sighed as he sat down, pulling the goggles over his eyes.

Clank sighed and kept his gaze lowered. "I never went to sleep." He admitted, laying his arms on the table. Bobble took Clank's hand. "I don't get it. I hated him. I… we had every reason to hate him. Shouldn't I be glad he's gone? Glad he can't hurt you anymore? Why do I feel so awful?"

Bobble ran his thumb over Clank's knuckles. "I feel bad too." He sighed. "I have no idea why. He was always awful to me. I _just_ woke up from a nightmare where he was strangling me again. And yet… I never wanted this to happen to him."

"I nearly lost you twice because of him." Clank sighed. "All the pain he caused you… I want him to receive it tenfold. But… He's gonna die out there." Clank stared at the table again, holding his head up with his free hand.

"I wonder if anyone stayed with him until he woke up." Bobble said. "Or if he was just left out there alone, with no idea where he was or why he was there. Did anyone tell him he'd been banished?"

"Did he even get a chance to wake up?" Clank mumbled. "He could've gotten eaten or something before he ever had a chance to see he'd been banished ."

Bobble squeezed Clank's hand. "I didn't even think of that… This really is more like a death sentence…"

"Do you think there's any way we could've stopped it?" Clank asked.

"We were both unconscious, Clank." Bobble sighed. "and it's ultimately the Queen's decision. We could have begged her to let him stay and she still could have banished him."

Clank sighed heavily. "What was his problem with you anyway? Why did he hate you so much?"

"I've been asking myself that for years." Bobble shrugged. "He told me the other day it was because he thought I was lazy. Or he thought I acted like I was better than everyone else? He said a lot of things. I'm not really sure if any of it was the _real_ reason he hated me. He just… has never liked me."

"That's all nonsense though." Clank said. "So he was terrible for no reason other than to be terrible?"

"That's certainly what it seems like." Bobble nodded. "And yet…"

"We still feel bad about what happened." Clank finished.

"Aye." Bobble breathed. They sat for a moment, not speaking. Not sure how to feel. "He's the first one who called me 'Bobble'… Did you know that?"

"I accidently picked the name up from him. I didn't know he made it up." Clank said, looking up now. "I always wondered why you hated it so much. Makes sense it's because of _him_."

"Well there's a little more to it than that." Bobble started. "it was the same day I ran away from here. The same day I made the deal with Queen Clarion, and the same day he and I were chased by Sprinting Thistles."

"What happened?" Clank asked.

"Fairy Mary told me I shouldn't leave Tinker's Nook because of my sight, she was angry when she said it. We both were. The way she said it, it made me feel like I was a burden to everyone here. I ran and stumbled, getting myself tangled in ropes a carrier pigeon had… which left me dangling in a tree… ' _What a nifty Bobble hanging in this tree_ ' he'd said. I asked for help…" Bobble sighed, pulling his hand from Clank's. "He wouldn't give it. He got the rest of the guild taunting… laughing… calling me by that name… I was completely humiliated and there was nothing I could do. So I ran as soon as Fairy Mary untangled me. He never stopped calling me that. The rest of Tinker's Nook took to the name for a while as well. It was a constant reminder of how out of place I was here."

"Phineas… I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Clank whispered.

Bobble shook his head. "No, it's okay. I'm letting that go now… because of you. Don't think you have to call me Phineas now that you know where the name Bobble came from. I like it when you call me Bobble. You never said it disrespectfully. And I never feel out of place when I'm with you,"

Clank smiled weakly at him. "You mean that?"

"Of course." Bobble answered. "Clank, you're the best thing that ever happened to me. Do you remember back when I first told you about my deal with Clarion?"

"Sort of." Clank said. "What about it?"

"We agreed to assume you're the one I've been waiting for." Bobble said, looking Clank in the eye. "I told Rosetta the other day… I don't assume anything. I know it's you. I can't imagine anyone who could possibly be better for me than you are. You always stand by me no matter how dumb I'm acting, you always take my feelings into consideration. You've saved my life from the same horrible roach _twice_." Bobble's smile suddenly faded.

"What's wrong?" Clank asked.

"I'm… not good enough for you…" Bobble said.

Clank straightened up. "What are you talking about?"

Bobble hugged himself and stared at the floor. "All I've ever done is make you worry about me. And because of my stupidity… Your back…"

Clank got up and hugged Bobble from behind. "Didn't we go over this yesterday? Our injuries aren't your fault or mine. They're _his_. And you've done plenty for me. You taught me everything. You've been my friend, you kept trying to talk to me when I was hiding from you. You stayed with me when you knew I was having nightmares. You do plenty for me, Bobble. And besides, I can't really take credit for saving you today. That was more the Scout's doing. I couldn't even pull him off of you." Clank said, trailing his fingertips along Bobble's neck.

Bobble shivered and leaned back into Clank's chest. "But you were still ready to protect me."

"I didn't do a very good job." Clank sighed. Bobble turned his head and kissed Clank's cheek.

"I'm alive aren't I?" Bobble said. "You did a good enough job."

"But I couldn't get him to let go." Clank said.

"Neither could I. Or Fairy Gary, or Fairy Mary for that matter. He was determined to hold on and so drastic measures had to be taken. It's not that you couldn't protect me and more that he'd lost his mind." Bobble said, nestling in close to Clank, keeping his wings tucked close to his back.

Clank tilted his head forward and nuzzled Bobble's neck. "I just wish I could have kept him from leaving these on you." He brushed his lips against the bruises. Bobble took a sharp breath, clutching Clank's wrist. Clank smiled against his neck and continued trailing soft kisses along the bruises, wrapping his arm tighter around Bobble's stomach. Bobble squirmed in his grasp, his breath quickening as Clank began nibbling at his neck, letting his tongue glide along the purple marks that had been left there.

He could feel the warmth growing in his face and chest as his eyes fluttered shut, breathing becoming slightly labored while Clank slowly moved down the side of his neck. He hadn't realized how just how sensitive he was, all this attention stirring something up inside him. Clank lightly scraped his teeth against the soft flesh and sucked lightly, making Bobble gasp slightly. Clank slowly slid one hand up Bobble's stomach while holding his hip with the other. Bobble felt like putty in Clank's hands as the heat continued to build in him. This felt so much better than what his mental images had done several weeks ago. Bobble's eyes snapped open just as Clank lightly bit the crook of his neck.

 _You're disgusting._ Bobble's mind echoed. He trembled and swallowed the lump that found its way into his throat. Clank stopped. Bobble took a few shaky breaths as Clank lifted his head back up to look at him. Bobble stared straight ahead at the wall, unable to make himself look anywhere else.

"Bobble," Clank sounded concerned. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Bobble's breath caught in his throat. He blinked and felt tears spill from his eyes. He hadn't noticed how shaky his breathing had gotten. Clank unwrapped his arms and Bobble quickly stepped away from him, holding himself tightly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Bobble muttered, barely audible.

Clank lay his hand on his back and rubbed small circles just above Bobble's wings. "What's going on? Are you okay?" Bobble moved away again and hovered over to his bed and sat in the corner furthest away from Clank, curling up as he did so. "Do… you want me to leave?" Clank asked hesitantly.

Bobble shook his head and buried his face in his knees. Clank sat behind him, but didn't touch him. "I'm sorry." He said. "I got a bit carried away. I guess I thought you would like all that."

"It's not that…" Bobble said shakily. "I did like it."

"You did?" Clank asked. Bobble nodded silently. "Well, then why…? I didn't hurt you did I?"

Bobble shook his head. "No… No, of course not…" he sighed. "It's just… I…"

Clank rubbed Bobble's shoulder. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No! No," Bobble turned around to face Clank. "I have to say this…" He took a couple deep breaths and looked up at Clank "a couple months ago… after Iridessa's arrival…I spent the night thinking about you. I was pretending you were with me and I… I was touching myself… pretending it was you the whole time… making me feel good. I never wanted you to find out about me doing something so shameful…"

Bobble expected Clank to get up and put a space cushion between them. Or grab his shirt and bandages and leave. What he didn't expect was for Clank to laugh. He gave Clank a confused look. "What…?"

"Is that all?" Clank laughed. "Oh, Bobble. That's nothing to be ashamed of. Especially not now. What you do in your spare time is your business. Besides, you were in the privacy of your own home."

"It's really embarrassing Clank!" Bobble argued.

"Well, I guess I can see why you'd think that. Since you still weren't telling me how you feel about me. But you don't need to be embarrassed now." Clank said.

Bobble chuckled, relaxing a little more. "I suppose not. I just never thought you would actually touch me that way."

Clank smiled slightly "Do you want me to?"

"What?" Bobble was a little surprised.

"Do you want me to touch you?" Clank asked softly, leaning in closer. Bobble swallowed, feeling the blush grow in his cheeks. Clank chuckled quietly and stroked Bobble's cheek. "Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself again."

"N-no! It's okay." Bobble said. "I… wouldn't mind if you…" his voice trailed off as he glanced down in his lap. Clank leaned forward and softly caught Bobble's lips with his own, trailing his hand down the side of his face and caressing the back of his neck. Bobble curled his arms around Clank's shoulders, shifting closer to him. He breathed deep as Clank moved his lips against his own, urging them to part. Clank let his tongue glide across Bobble's lip before catching his bottom lip between his teeth briefly. Bobble tangled his left hand in Clank's hair, while he weakly dug the fingers of his other hand into Clank's shoulder.

Clank broke away from Bobble's lips and placed soft, sweet kisses on Bobble's cheek where a particularly ugly bruise had blossomed. Bobble drew sharp breathes, combing his fingers up against Clank's scalp as he again trailed his kisses down to his neck, repeating what he'd done before. He slid his hand down Bobble's back and nibbled at the bruises, sucking at the skin as he trailed lower. He trailed his free hand up Bobble's stomach as he nuzzled his neck, then nipped at his collar bone. Bobble tugged at Clank's hair, whimpering, still slightly embarrassed by his own sensitivity but loving Clank's lips on him all the same.

He felt a tug at the front of his shirt, bringing his attention back momentarily. "Can I take this off?" Clank mumbled into his neck. Bobble tilted his head so the tip of Clank's ear was right by his lips.

"Aye. Go ahead." He muttered. If he'd been thinking rationally he would have said it was only fair since Clank already had his shirt off from earlier treatment. But rationality was gone and truthfully Bobble just wanted to know what Clank would do with more exposed skin. Clank leaned back from Bobble and undid the buttons and unwrapped the shirt. Bobble dropped his arms from Clank's neck and let him ease the shirt off his back and wings. A smile tugged at his lips as he reached for Clank again.

Slowly, Clank rested his hand on Bobble's hips, staring at his chest with a strange mix of awe and anguish. Bobble hesitantly looked down at his chest and saw how many more dark splotches littered his skin. He dropped his arms to his side, unsure what to do or say now. _I probably look disgusting._

"Do they hurt?" Clank asked. Bobble just stared and didn't answer. Clank looked back up at him. "The bruises, do they hurt?" Clank asked, lightly trailing his fingertips down Bobble's chest for emphasis.

Bobble shivered, relief washing over him. "Aye, a little." He admitted. "Please be gentle."

"I will." Clank whispered. "C'mere." He dropped his hands to Bobble's hips and pulled him into his lap.

"Ah!" Bobble gasped, suddenly being full flush against Clank's chest. He was so warm, so soft, and Bobble loved being this close to him. "I thought I said be gentle." He laughed, hooking his legs on either side of Clank. Bobble's breath hitched as he felt warm fingertips glide up his spine and brush against the base of his wings. He squirmed and hugged Clank's neck once more, desperate for something to hold onto.

"I am." Clank grinned. "I just remember this feeling good last night." He barely touched Bobble's wing as he slowly brushed one hand over them. Bobble buried his face in Clank's neck as his wings twitched and fluttered at Clank's touch.

Clank chuckled and ran his hand over the wing again. Bobble panted, the warmth in his wings was sensational. He bit his own knuckle to keep from whining too loud. "You do like that, don't you?" Clank asked. Bobble nodded into Clank's shoulder. "Good." He reached out as far as he could and with just one finger traced the lines in Bobble's wings. "Y'know, you have rather large wings for someone your size."

Bobble groaned, staring over Clank's shoulder. "It's not fair!" he whined. "I want to touch your wings too."

Clank smiled, feeling his cheeks grow warm. "Then do it." He said simply.

"Won't it hurt you?" Bobble asked.

"It didn't when you touched them yesterday." Clank replied. Bobble hadn't even remembered that he'd touched Clank's wings before. He stared over Clank's shoulder at his wings, wanting to send the same tingling warmth through them that Clank was doing to him. Bobble moaned into Clank's neck as he passed his hand over his wings again. "Feels good, right?" he whispered.

"Tell me if I hurt you." Bobble breathed, reaching his good arm behind Clank and brushing his fingers along the edge of one wing. The hand on his hip tightened its grip as Clank arched forward. Bobble grinned and glided his palm down the wing, letting his thumb slide along the edge. Clank responded with a moan as he slid his fingertips to Bobble's back and let his hand drop to his hip again. His eyes fluttered closed as Bobble traced the spirals in the wings with such a delicate touch. It sent fire through Clank, and he never wanted Bobble to stop. He slid his hands up Bobble's sides and clutched his body right beneath his arms.

"Hey, Bobble?" Clank managed to say, though his voice shook slightly.

Bobble lifted his fingers off of Clank's wings. "Aye, Clank? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, "I was just thinking…"

"What is it?" Bobble sat back on Clank's knees.

"Do you think maybe we're doing too much too fast? I mean, we only got together yesterday."

Bobble bit his lip. Was this too fast? He supposed it probably was, but he really didn't want to stop yet. He leaned forward and softly kissed Clank before answering. "Today has been awful, Clank. I don't care if this is fast, I know what I want, and that's you. Can we please end today on a high note? Besides, I think we deserve it after all the near-death experiences we've had lately."

Clank's expression softened. "Are you sure?"

"Aye, positive Clanky." Bobble said, leaning his forehead on Clank's. He felt Clank's hand run along the length of his torso again, coming to rest on his waist. His hands were so warm, he wanted them all over his body. Clank lifted him off his lap, and lay him down on the bed, holding himself over Bobble. He could feel Clank's stomach press against him as Clank leaned down for another kiss. Bobble wrapped his arms around Clank's neck and arched his back, pressing against Clank's body.

Clank froze suddenly. Bobble opened his eyes to see Clank staring down at him, red faced and nervous. Bobble's grip slipped and he fell back on the bed. "Ouch!" he cried, clutching his right arm.

"Bobble!" Clank gasped and took the arm in his hands. "I'm sorry, are you okay?"

Bobble groaned a little. "I'm fine… ouch…" he pulled his arm away from Clank and held it to his chest. "Are _you_ okay? What happened?"

Clank blushed and looked away. "I… you… um…" He pressed his palm against the front of Bobble's pants, making him gasp. Bobble had been ignoring how aroused he was getting, but now that Clank had pointed it out it was pretty obvious.

Bobble laughed nervously. "Oh. Eh heh… I, um… I guess I really like what you're doing to me." He closed his eyes, cringing at his own words, realizing how weird they sounded.

"Are… you sure you don't want me to stop?" Clank asked, incredibly red in the face.

"Do _you_ want to stop?" Bobble asked. "If you're not comfortable then we can stop."

Clank stared for a moment, then leaned his face down to Bobble's chest, kissing one of the larger bruises. "I… think I'm okay... just surprised I guess."

Bobble shivered as Clank ran his hands down his stomach. "Wh-why would this surprise you?" he gasped, and arched upward, pressing against Clank again.

"Well…" Clank said, "I didn't think I could get you this excited so easily." Clank dragged his hand along Bobble's thigh, drawing a heavy breath from him as he did. Bobble let his arms fall to his sides helplessly, rocking his hips forward. Clank leaned down again and licked one of Bobble's nipples, causing more heavy breaths and more squirming. He hooked his legs around Clank's hips again and ground against him, not really thinking anymore, but the friction felt nice so he did it again.

Clank let out a breathy laugh before taking Bobble's nipple between his teeth and tugging lightly on it. Bobble's hand found its way into Clank's hair again, and held him to his chest, his fingers tangling in the black mess. His grip tightened on the hair as Clank pressed against his groin. "Do you like that?" he whispered.

"Aye… don't stop." Bobble breathed. Clank obliged and slowly rubbed Bobble's erection through his pants. Bobble twitched beneath him, breath quickening. Clank curled his fingers over the waist band of his pants. Bobble shot a glance down at Clank, who stared back with a questioning look.

"Can I…?" he started to ask.

"Do it." Bobble cut him off. "Take them off me."

Clank blushed, smiling and pulled the pants down slowly. Bobble raised his hips to allow Clank to undress him, and felt himself spring free from the garment. The cool night air surrounded him. He wasn't sure if it was that or anticipation that made him shutter as Clank threw his clothes on the floor. He could feel his face burn, but for once he didn't feel embarrassed. _He's seen you naked before_ he reminded himself. It took too long for Clank to touch him again, making Bobble open his eyes. Clank just held himself above Bobble, staring at him.

"What's wrong?" Bobble asked, starting to feel nervous again.

Clank shook his head. "Nothing… you look really good." He gazed back up at Bobble's face, smiling, and Bobble breathed out a laugh and thanked him. "Can I see your hand?" Clank asked.

Bobble held up his left hand. "What for?" Clank took his hand and guided it between his own legs, pressing Bobble's palm against his groin. Bobble tensed up and almost pulled his hand away, but instead pressed against Clank, making him groan. "H-how?" Bobble gasped. "I've barely touched you." He suddenly felt guilty. He should have been reciprocating everything Clank was doing.

"You've touched me enough…" Clank said heavily. "You feel amazing… you look even better…" he let go of Bobble's wrists and slid both hands up his thighs until he was holding his hips. Clank pulled Bobble to him until their hips met and ground into him. Bobble cried out. Clank felt so solid against him, every movement of his hips was incredible. _More!_ Bobble thought. _Please more!_

Clank moved one hand to Bobble's stomach and stroked it gently, gradually moving lower. Bobble squirmed against him, creating more friction between them. "Cl-Clank!" Bobble gasped. Clank leaned down and caught Bobble's mouth with his, but Bobble shook his head and pushed him away. "Clank, please…"

"What?" Clank breathed.

"Take yours off too." Bobble said, rocking his hips against Clank for emphasis. "Please, I need you to!"

Clank panted. "Are you sure?"

"Aye!" Bobble cried. "Please, Clank!"

"Okay, okay!" Clank said, laying Bobble's hips back down. "Relax, it's okay." Clank rose up on his knees and hooked his thumbs into his pants and started pulling them down. Bobble watched, entranced as his boyfriend stripped before him. He hesitated once his hips were exposed, looking back to Bobble for encouragement. Bobble nodded, and Clank pulled his shorts completely off.

Bobble stared, realizing this was actually the first time he'd seen Clank naked. He shouldn't have been surprised at Clank's size after he'd felt him, but seeing his erection uncovered just astounded Bobble. He laughed slightly. "I guess your wings really are the only small thing you have."

Clank glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. Um. I can cover up again if you want."

"No! No don't!" Bobble said, sitting up. "You don't have to be nervous around me." He trailed his fingertips down Clank's stomach. "I've already told you I like everything about you. This is no different."

He shuttered at Bobble's touch, so soft, so gentle. Bobble curled his fingers around Clank's shaft and started to stroke slowly. His small hand was so warm. Clank focused on his breathing as Bobble's slender fingers pulled back up to his tip. "Bobble…" he whimpered. Bobble was about to speed up when Clank pushed him back down on the bed, once again pulling Bobble's hips to his own. He thrust his hips forward rubbing their erections together.

Bobble moaned as Clank rocked his hips in an even rhythm. This was more than he'd ever dreamed would happen between Clank and him, and he loved every moment of it. Every thrust, each push against the sensitive tissue sent waves of heat and pleasure through his body. He stared up at Clank, who looked absolutely euphoric. The hunger in his brown eyes matched what Bobble felt. He wanted, no, _needed_ more. He reached down between them again and tried to wrap his hand around both their penises, unable to fit both in his grip. Clank was too big. Even so, he did his best to stroke in time with their thrusting. Clank grunted above him, and lowered his hand as well, able to hold more in his larger palm.

"Feels good…" Clank panted. "Real good."

"Aye." Bobble breathed. "Please keep going." Clank nodded and thrust harder into their hands. Bobble pushed up against the bed to meet him, desperate for more contact. He could feel himself getting close. His legs trembled, and he felt weak in Clank's hands.

Clank ran his thumb over Bobble's slick slit, making him cry out, Clank repeated the motion, and Bobble threw his broken arm around Clank's neck to pull himself to him. He pressed his mouth to Clank's and let out a loud moan. He couldn't take much more. Everything touch, every motion, every _thing_ was sensational. And the knowledge that this was Clank doing this to him… Clank, who he cared deeply for, whom he wanted for so long, holding him, rocking against him, pressing their bodies together. That thought pushed him over the edge. He stiffened, and released, once again screaming into Clank's mouth.

He continued to rock against Clank, riding out his orgasm, until he finally fell back against the bed, going completely slack. He stared up at Clank, exhausted and blissful. Clank panted above him, and Bobble caught the desperate look in his eye. "Keep going." He whispered.

"But you…" Clank breathed.

"I want you to finish too." Bobble said, curling his hand around Clank's shaft again, stroking down the length. Clank groaned and rocked his hips into Bobble's hand again. Bobble twisted his hand, ever so slightly, speeding up his strokes on Clank. "You're so amazing, Clanky. Everything about you. Your face, your voice, the sounds you're making. Your body… your touch… every bit of it is incredible."

Clank gasped as he stiffened and climaxed, spilling onto Bobble's stomach. After a moment he pulled back and lay down beside Bobble. "I love you." He whispered. Bobble pulled himself closer to Clank and kissed him softly. Clank rubbed small circles on Bobble's lower back, the collective mess of their orgasms squishing between their chests. Clank chuckled as he pulled back, and Bobble made a face.

"Maybe we should get cleaned up." He said, about to climb out of bed. Clank grabbed him and pulled him back to his chest.

"I don't mind the mess." He said.

Bobble laughed, "Well I do. Can you let me up please?" Clank nuzzled his neck, nibbling on his shoulder before he let Bobble go. He got some fresh water and washed his chest off, before returning to Clank who was now sitting up in bed. Bobble had a rag with him and sat in Clank's lap to clean his chest off.

"You really are wonderful, you know that?" Clank said, running his fingers through Bobble's hair.

Bobble smiled. "Not as wonderful as you are." He replied. Clank pushed Bobble's goggles to his forehead and kissed him right under his left eye.

"I missed that one earlier." He said. Bobble felt warmth in his chest. It felt so good to be loved by Clank. He never dreamed Clank would love him so much, and was pleased to have him here. He lay his head against Clank's now clean chest and listened to his heartbeat, still pounding rather hard from their activity. His eyes fluttered shut as Clank stroked his back. He felt so tired all of a sudden,

Clank let out a yawn, and lay back, taking Bobble with him. They cuddled up close to each other, their legs tangling together. And within moments were both asleep. Neither could remember why they were unable to sleep in the first place.


	21. Road to Recovery

The following weeks leading up to the changing of the seasons were rather trying for Bobble and Clank. They were continuously questioned about what was wrong with them. A lot of Tinkers kept poking at Bobble's bruises, while others realized Clank couldn't fly and wanted to see the scratches on his back. On top of that, it took several days for Clank's lungs to clear out all the nightshade so he had regular coughing fits that interrupted his work.

As if that wasn't enough, both of them kept having horrible flashes of the incidents that haunted them. There had been a few incidents where Bobble had been working on deliveries when he started to feel hands on his neck that weren't actually there. He'd fallen to his knees shouting in terror, scaring everyone around him. That had Clank running to him from across Tinker's Nook, where he'd held Bobble until he was able to calm down.

But Clank had it just as bad. He was still seeing images of the hawk on top of memories of the trial. He'd end up sobbing at least once every day. Lucinda would go and find Bobble when that happened and bring him to Clank where he'd sit with him, reminding him that he was alive and safe because of him.

Fairy Mary was afraid they may have come back to work too soon, and more than once told them they should take the day to relax. They never did. After a week of their episodes, she found the best thing to do was to keep them in close proximity of each other. She made sure that Clank would help Bobble load the delivery wagons, and between loads, she had Bobble go with Clank to his station while he worked. They were both overjoyed by the arrangement. The panic attacks lessened, and Bobble had found ways to help Clank with his work despite only having one arm to do it with. He'd hold things still for him, or when he saw a problem he'd instruct Clank on how to fix it. It felt just like it had when he taught Clank as a new arrival, only better.

The two of them had taken to sleeping together as well. They held off on being physically intimate again, agreeing that first night was a special circumstance. But they also agreed there was no reason why they couldn't stay with each other at night, since the other's presence seemed to help with the nightmares. They usually stayed at Bobble's house. It was more spacious and was better for accommodating the both of them. The bed was a little crowded though, and Clank thought maybe they should build a bigger one if they were going to keep sharing their sleeping space. Bobble held off, since he wasn't sure if this was going to be a permanent arrangement. He wouldn't mind if it was though.

The girls were extremely considerate of Bobble and Clank's recovery. They would always bring them their meals so Clank didn't have to walk out to the café. Every few hours one of them would stop by just to see how they were doing. Bobble really liked when Rosetta would stop by, because they didn't have to try and cover up their relationship around her.

She stopped by two days before the changing of the seasons just as Bobble had gotten Clank calmed down from another episode. He was still breathing heavily when she landed beside them. "Y'doin' alright, Clank?" she asked when he noticed her there.

"Yeah…" he said, panting slightly. "Yeah, I'm alright." Lucinda leaned in and handed him a handkerchief to wipe his eyes.

"That one wasn't nearly as bad as they had been." She commented before returning to Bobble's old work station.

Clank shook his head. "No, it was still horrifying."

"Clank," Bobble rubbed the back of his hand, sitting in front of him. "You're alright. It's in the past and I'm okay now."

"What happened this time?" Rosetta whispered to Lucinda.

"He thought Phin's neck had been snapped." Lucinda muttered back. "I dunno what to do. I dunno if they'll ever get better."

"They will." Rosetta said. "I'm sure they will." She looked over at them to see Clank with his face buried in Bobble's neck and holding him tight. "It's just gonna take a while."

Bobble looked over Clank's shoulder at Rosetta. "Did you need something?" he asked.

"No, I just came to see how y'all were doin' today." Rosetta shrugged.

"Well, it's…" Bobble looked down at Clank. "…it's been a rough morning so far."

Clank sat back and let out a sigh. "I'm okay." he breathed. "Sorry about that. I'm fine."

"Good." Bobble said, leaning in to kiss his forehead. "I'm glad."

"Hey, guys I actually wanted to ask y'all somethin'" Rosetta said.

"What's that?" Clank asked, sniffling a little bit.

"Well, y'all've been together for a while now…" Rosetta started.

"Aye, about a month now." Bobble confirmed with a smile. "What about it?"

"Well, I was just wonderin' if you told anyone else yet, or if y'all plan on keepin' it a secret." Rosetta asked.

Clank and Bobble glanced at each other briefly. "I think we're gonna keep it quiet." Clank said. Lucinda snorted behind Rosetta and quickly covered her mouth.

"Lucinda?" Bobble looked over at her.

"Sorry," She giggled.

"What are you laughing at?" Clank asked.

"You guys realize that pretty much all of Tinker's nook knows you're a couple, right?" Lucinda smirked.

They stared blankly at her. "Did you tell them?" Clank asked her.

"No" She smiled.

"I didn't say anything." Clank said to Bobble quickly.

"I didn't either." Bobble replied, blushing.

"You never really had to." Lucinda laughed. "You don't hide it very well. I'm pretty sure the only one who hasn't noticed is Fairy Mary."

"But!" Bobble's voice caught in his throat as his ears burned.

"We were so careful not to show anyone!" Clank said.

"Maybe when you're with your friends, but not here." Lucinda grinned. "You two are pretty dependent on one another, people just started making assumptions. And Clank's house being empty every night was a pretty good hint."

"They checked my house?" Clank gasped.

"Some of us had been wanting to help you out. Not being able to fly and all." Lucinda shrugged.

Clank hid his face in his hands. "Well this is embarrassing." He mumbled. Bobble nodded, still not having found his voice.

"If it makes y'all feel any better, I don't think the rest of our friends have noticed." Rosetta chimed in. Bobble just groaned. "But I do still wonder if y'all are gonna tell them soon."

Lucinda was hunched over her table laughing, while Clank and Bobble looked to each other with questioning gazes. "What do you think?" Clank asked. "You did say we should keep a lid on it."

"Aye, but that was before I knew that practically everyone knew." Bobble sighed. "But, I suppose we've waited long enough…"

"So when should we tell them?" Clank asked.

"How 'bout tonight at dinner?" Rosetta asked.

"That could work." Bobble nodded. "Do you think they'll be okay with it?"

"I think they'll just be happy to know that y'all are happy." Rosetta said.

"There you two are." A voice rang from above. The four of them all looked up to see Clara floating down to them. "You both were supposed to come in for a checkup" she scolded as she landed beside Clank.

"That was today?" Bobble put his good hand to his forehead. "I completely forgot!"

"I noticed." Clara said. "And you were actually supposed to come in three days ago."

"Oh, goodness." Bobble shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Miss Clara."

"We didn't mean to make you go out of your way for us." Clank said.

"Well, best not keep the girl waitin'" Rosetta said, shooing them off. "We'll see y'all tonight?"

Once they had gotten to the healer's station with Clara, she brought them back to examine them. Normally she insisted on them having separate rooms for their appointments but since they were off schedule she allowed them to be together. She started with Bobble, checking his arm and taking notes. She didn't say anything as far as progress on healing, and rather went to check the bruises that had faded over the weeks.

"I can barely see them." Bobble commented as she examined his chest. "I was hoping that nobody else could see them either."

"Mhm." Clara hummed pressing down on a couple. "Does this hurt, Mr. Kettletree?"

"No, Miss Clara." He said.

"Good. They seem to be healing nicely. Within a couple days they won't be visible at all."

"That's great!" Bobble smiled as he closed his shirt back up. "What about my arm?"

Clara moved to Clank while she answered. "I think we'd better leave it in the bandages for another week just to be sure, but you probably don't need the sling anymore as long as you're careful with it. Clank, shirt off."

Bobble hopped up, grinning as he flexed his fingers a couple times. "It'll be so great to use both hands again." He sighed happily.

"We'll be able to do so much more!" Clank agreed while Clara cut the bandages off. He'd gotten his stitches out two weeks ago, but the skin was still too tender and too raw to fly. Bobble had kept up the treatment every day. He wanted Clank in the air with him just as much as Clank wanted him to use his hands again.

"Your back seems to have healed up nicely, Clank." Clara said, running her hand over one of the marks. "I'm pretty sure you'll have these scars from now on though. Sorry we can't do anything about that."

"That's fine." Clank said. "They don't bother me since I can't see them."

"Good." Clara said.

"Miss Clara, do you think he'll be able to fly soon?" Bobble asked.

"Well let's see." Clara said, "Clank, can you flap your wings for me?"

"Oh, sure." Clank stood up and flapped his wings a few times.

"Any pain, or discomfort?" Clara asked.

"No." Clank said.

"Alright, how about a flutter?" she watched as Clank fluttered his wings, said he felt alright. "Okay, can you hover for me for a minute?"

Clank floated off of the ground while Clara timed him. Bobble smiled up at him. Things were looking good so far. Clara signaled for him to land, and he just sort of dropped to the ground. Bobble immediately rushed to his side. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Clank winced. "My back's a little sore, but I'm okay." Bobble frowned at that.

"Well," Clara said. "It looks like you still need to be careful, but you should start flying again. Just don't overdo it. No long distance flying, and don't fly too high just yet. You need to build up your strength since you've been off them for so long. Work your way back up to regular flying."

Clank looked hopeful. "You really mean it, I can fly again?"

" _If_ you're careful about it." Clara said. "Also you should keep treating the scars until you run out of medicine, just to help the healing process along."

"Right, I will." Clank nodded with a smile. Bobble grinned too, things were really looking up now. They'd both be back to one hundred percent soon.

"I want you both to come back next week so I can check on your progress." Clara said. "Don't forget this time, got it?"

"We won't." Bobble promised, about to head out the door.

"Wait, I'm not done yet." Clara said. Bobble stopped and faced her once more as Clank pulled his shirt back on. "Physically you two are doing much better. How are you both doing emotionally? Last time we talked, you were both still pretty shaken up."

Clank glanced at the ground. "Just had another flash of the trial before coming out here." He admitted. "Is that ever going to go away?"

Clara tapped her chin. "It will." She said. "Eventually. Things like that take time. Fixing your mind's a lot harder than fixing your body."

Clank sighed, Bobble felt just as bad as he did, also wishing those nightmares and visions would go away. "It didn't last as long this time." He pointed out. "It was only a few minutes before you calmed back down."

Clara raised an eyebrow. Clank sighed "It was still just as awful."

"I know. But maybe you are getting better after all." Bobble smiled. "I certainly think so."

Clara grinned. "It really is good that you two are able to support each other through this. You are making good progress, so even though it's tough right now, you both will get back to normal soon enough. Now, I'd imagine you both have a lot of work to do, so I won't keep you any longer."

"Thanks, Miss Clara." Clank said.

"Have a good evening boys."

When supper time rolled around, They started setting up Bobble's house for the girls to come over. Clank was pretty excited about letting them know he could fly again, and thought Bobble would be excited about showing that he didn't need his sling anymore. But as he watched Bobble he noticed how nervous he seemed as he paced back and forth after setting up all the places around the table.

"Bobble, is something wrong?" Clank asked. Bobble looked up, then shook his head, biting the tip of his thumb. Clank sighed and hugged him from behind. "Talk to me." He said softly.

Bobble sighed and was quiet for a moment. "I'm just nervous about what they'll say." He said. Clank held him tighter as he continued "What if… What if they aren't okay with our relationship? What if they stop being our friends? They've been so kind to me for so long… I don't want that to go away."

Clank smiled and chuckled softly. "You're overthinking this. It'll be fine. Rosetta knows and is alright with it. Why wouldn't the rest of them?" Bobble sighed and leaned his head back on Clank's shoulder. "Everything will be fine. Don't worry." Clank said.

Bobble smiled at him "You're right. I'm sorry." He turned around and hugged Clank back. "After all, nobody in Tinker's Nook seems to have a problem with us. Why would they?" Clank kissed him lightly just as there was a knock at the door. The two of them broke apart and Bobble called for their guests to come inside.

The four girls filed inside and the first thing they noticed was that Bobble was no longer wearing his sling.

"Wow!" Fawn said, taking his arm carefully. "Does this mean you'll get the bandages off soon?"

"Aye! Maybe even as soon as next week." Bobble confirmed.

"Phin, that's great!" Fawn declared, taking her seat at the table. Silvermist and Rosetta started laying out the food they brought with them.

"It gets better!" Bobble explained. "Clank, tell them what Clara told you."

"Huh?" Clank looked up from helping lay out the food. "Oh, right! Look!" he hovered off the floor for just a brief moment before settling back down.

"Wow! You can fly again?" Iridessa exclaimed.

"A little." Clank nodded. "Gotta work my way back up to regular flying. But hey, it's a start!"

"Pretty soon we'll be able to come to you girls instead of you all coming here every night." Bobble said as he sat beside Fawn. Clank took the seat at his other side as the rest of the group settled into their seats. They asked the girls about their day and if they were ready for their journey to the mainland in a couple days.

Fawn admitted she was exhausted from all the work, but was really excited to see the critters on the mainland. Silvermist commented on how it was good that they were doing so well since they would be gone for a week and wouldn't be able to check on them. It sounded like things were going extraordinarily well with the nature talents, just as things had been running more smoothly in Tinker's Nook the past few weeks with the exception of their episodes.

Rosetta smirked at the boys then "So tell us, What _are_ you two gonna do without us around for a week?"

Bobble blushed, but Clank seemed to miss her hidden meaning. "Well, I guess we'll start getting ready for Summer, right Bobble?"

Bobble nodded, clearing his throat. "Aye, Clank's right. Our work's never done, and Summer isn't going to come on its own, right?"

"Right!" Silvermist agreed.

"C'mon now, sugar, you can't be workin' all the time." Rosetta pressed. "Got any other plans? You two gonna do anything special?"

"Alright! I get it!" Bobble said, trying not to turn redder.

"Get what?" Fawn asked.

Clank looked down at Bobble as he took a deep breath to calm himself down. "We actually have something to tell you girls." Bobble explained.

"What is it?" Dessa asked, suddenly concerned.

"It's nothing bad," Clank said.

"It's just… something that's been going on that we haven't told you about." Bobble continued.

Fawn made a face. "What've you been hiding this time?"

"It's nothing bad! I swear!" Bobble said defensively. "It's just… Well…"

"Oh would you just tell them already?" Rosetta huffed.

"Okay! okay!" Bobble yelled nervously. "For the past few weeks, since the day before the trial actually… You see, we've… um…"

"We're together." Clank finished for him.

The girls were quiet for a moment. Rosetta grinned at them from across the table. Iridessa seemed to process what they said, Silvermist looked confused, Fawn's face fell a little.

"Together…" Dess said. "You mean like… a couple?"

"Yes." Clank confirmed. Bobble stared down at the table, fidgeting a little.

"Really?" Silvermist asked. "as in you two are boyfriends?"

"Uh huh!" Clank smiled.

"It's true." Bobble said. "I love him."

Clank glanced down at Bobble and smiled wide. "I love you too." He said quietly.

"That's so great!" Silvermist cheered. "I'm so happy for you both!"

"Me too!" Iridessa said. "And it's so great since you two've always been so close!"

"Aye, it's been wonderful." Bobble smiled up at Clank who took his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Fawn?" Rosetta said softly. "Honey, are you alright?" All attention was on her then. She didn't look happy. She almost looked sad, but her emotional state seemed confused.

"I gotta go." She said standing up.

"Fawn?" Bobble reached for her, but she hurried out the door and was gone. They were all quiet then. "What was that about?" Clank stood up, releasing Bobble's hand. "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna go find her." Clank said, heading for the door. "You four wait here. I'll be back." With that Clank headed out after Fawn. He could see her glow off in the trees and taking a deep breath, he took off after her.

She was flying rather quickly, so Clank really had to push himself to catch up with her. "Fawn!" he yelled. "Miss Fawn, wait!" She didn't stop and tried to fly faster. "Fawn, please! Wait for me!" He tried hard to catch up. The sudden ache in his back stopped him. He let out a cried pain and started to fall. He was too high up, and tried to hold himself up, but his wings were too tired. "Help!" he cried out.

Fawn grabbed his wrist a foot off the ground and slowed his descent until his feet touched the ground. Both breathing hard, Clank sat heavily on the ground in front of her. "Thank you." He panted. "That was almost bad."

"I'm sorry." Fawn said, kneeling in front of him. "I didn't think you'd follow me."

"Why'd you run away?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

Fawn sighed and sat behind him. "I'm fine." She said. "I'm just… sad."

"What for?" Clank asked.

Fawn shrugged. "Well, to be honest. I kind of have a crush on Phin."

"You do?" Clank asked.

"Yeah." Fawn sighed. "It happened sometime after the revelry. I've always liked spending time with him, y'know? But somewhere along the line I guess I started feeling… different."

"I'm sorry. I had no idea." Clank said. "If I'd known… I…"

"No! No, don't worry about it. It's okay." Fawn said. "I didn't really show it much. I'm not really the most romantic fairy in Pixie Hollow, y'know?" she grinned at him. Clank couldn't help but smile back. "I'll get over it. It's just the initial blow, knowing that nothing's gonna come from it was a little much."

"I'm really sorry, Fawn." Clank said again.

"It's fine." She said again, really sounding like she meant it. "Besides, if I had to pick anyone in the world to be with him, I'd pick you."

"Really?" Clank smiled.

"Yeah! You're _so_ much better for him than I could ever be." Fawn nudged him. "Just, take care of him, alright?"

Clank laughed. "I will, I promise." He pushed to his feet and held his hand out to her. "You wanna come back to dinner?" Fawn took his hand and let him pull her to her feet.

"If it's okay with you, I kinda wanna wait a couple days to tell them why I freaked out like that." Fawn smiled sheepishly. "You can tell Phin, but… Just don't tell the rest, okay?"

Clank nodded. "Your secret's safe with me."

Fawn hugged him tight. "You gonna make it back okay?"

"Yeah, I don't think we're too far. I'll be fine." Clank nodded, letting her go.

"Okay. Good night Clank." Fawn half smiled then flew off. Clank watched her for a moment before heading back to Bobble's house.

The girls had already left by the time Clank got back. Bobble was cleaning the table when Clank shut the door behind him. "I was just about to come look for you." Bobble said. "Are you alright? Did you talk to Fawn?"

"I'm fine." Clank nodded. "And Fawn's gonna be okay."

"What was wrong?" Bobble asked.

"She has a crush on you." Clank said bluntly.

"She what?" Bobble gasped.

Clank chuckled. "Yeah, so she was upset knowing you were taken."

"Oh dear." Bobble sat down. "I knew telling them was a bad idea."

"No no! It was good!" Clank said. "Everyone was fine with it. Even Fawn! She said she's okay with it, even if she is upset. Everything's okay now."

Bobble looked up at him. "You sure?"

"I'm sure." Clank smiled.

Things were looking up now. The next day Bobble went to clear the air with Fawn. She told him what she'd told Clank, and said she was happy for them and apologized for her behavior the night before. Bobble told her not to worry about it, and to have fun on the mainland.

The morning after that, the girls all left to welcome spring, leaving the Tinkers to get to work on summer supplies. Bobble did a little more work than he had over the last month, but was extremely careful of his right arm. Clank tried flying a little more, being sure not to push himself like he'd done chasing Fawn.

When the Nature Talents had been gone for four days, Clank and Bobble returned to Clara for another checkup. She was happy with the progress on Clank's flying, and Bobble's bruises were gone completely. Finally she checked his arm.

"You ready to take these bandages off?" Clara asked.

Bobble grinned wide. "Can we?"

"We sure can." Clara said. She cut the bandages off and Bobble flexed his fingers a few times, grinning at his healed arm.

Clank held his shoulder and smiled down at him.

"Come back if there's any problems. But you should be good to go." Clara said.

The boys started heading back on foot. Clank wanted to try and fly, but Bobble insisted they walk so they could enjoy each other's company a little longer before diving into crafting.

"It's been a pretty wild couple of months." Clank said.

"Aye. But they've been a good couple of months." Bobble sighed.

"Two near death experiences and a banishment and you say it was a good couple of months?" Clank laughed.

"Aye. We may have had some hardships, but it doesn't matter now. I have you." Bobble said.

Clank found his hand and held it as they walked. "We've got each other."

* * *

 **And that's the end! Hope you enjoyed it!**


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